Post #72

Subject: “The surge is working, the surge is working.”

I saw Senator John McCain say – as tho repetition makes it so. Of course, McCain also said, “General Petraeus goes out there [into Baghdad] almost every day in an unarmed HumVee.” McCain later omitted any claims about unarmed HumVees, saying that he meant that there are neighborhoods that are safe and that General Petraeus does go out into Baghdad.

It seems the “Straight-Talk Express” has a flat tire! :p

That George W. Bush would paint the surge as a success is really no surprise. Do ya really think in, say, June that Bush would say “My fellow Americans, the surge has not worked – Americans have died in vain,” really? But what is surprising is how soon and how rah-rah the cheerleading is.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said before Congress that he was disturbed to hear one of his military officers say it will be fall before they have a good idea how well the latest Baghdad campaign is going. He said he hopes that Gen. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, will be able to make that evaluation by summer.

But Bush needs somebody to blame for his own mess. The Senate passed a bill requiring President Bush to start withdrawing troops from “the civil war in Iraq.” In a 51-47 vote, the Senate signed off on a bill providing $123 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also orders Bush to begin withdrawing troops within 120 days of passage while setting a nonbinding goal of ending combat operations by March 31, 2008. Po’ Mr. Bush – to be stuck holding the bag! Ya can kiss being baseball commissioner ‘bye. :p

Forty-eight Democrats and independent Bernard Sanders of Vermont were joined by Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Republican Gordon Smith of Oregon -- yes, Mr. Smith, I haven’t forgotten my Post # 45 – in voting for the measure. So, that is two Republicans who put America’s interests above Bush’s interests.

America’s interests = ending the war and not leaving chaos behind.

Bush’s interests = handing off responsibility for his mess to the next President.

Supporting Bush’s interests over America’s interests were 46 Republicans and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman who argued against a withdrawal timetable on the floor of the Senate, saying, "It is clear that for the first time in a long time, there is reason for cautious optimism about Iraq." For the first time!?! Haven’t you've been so optimistic before, Joe, telling us all about the great progress? Remember the 2006 campaign!?!

Aaahhh – carrying water!

Also, “Surely this will embolden the enemy and it will not help our troops in any way,” said Senator Richard Shelby, Republican, Alabama. Well, it might take the target off their back! :p

Look, seriously, what are going to do if our military is needed elsewhere tomorrow? Bring our troops home, rest ‘em, resupply ‘em and send ‘em out to hunt down and destroy terrorist training camps and to topple governments that harbor ‘em.

But Bush can carry his own water. “The consequences of imposing such a specific and random date of withdrawal would be disastrous," Bush said in a speech at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association meeting in Washington.

Somebody please tell Bush that the Iraq war – after we didn’t find WMD and after we overthrew Saddam, our military objectives – has been disastrous. And that continuing to flounder will be even more disastrous by giving aid and comfort to our enemy, our real enemy in Afghanistan as we continue to bleed in Iraq.

"Members of Congress need to stop making political statements, start providing vital funds for our troops and get a bill to my desk that I can sign into law," Bush said. "If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible." Yes, Bush is at fault for a war that is, as Pat Buchanan said in my Post #67, “breaking our Army, has crippled an administration, and has bled and divided our country as it has not been since the days of Vietnam.”