The Redhunter

I can understand if you thought invading Iraq was a bad idea. I can also understand if you think that the Administration's new plan for victory in Iraq won't work. I can even sort of understand if you think we ought to pull the troops out immediately, and are willing to take action to back that up. What I cannot understand or tolerate are those who say that the new plan won't work, in fact no plan will work, are not willing to take the action that is necessary to force the President to bring the troops home immediately.

What I also will not tolerate are those who insist that we bring the troops home now but refuse to address the issue of what that would mean for the region.

But this group wants to pass a resolution against the troop "surge". They say it won't work. But they also say that no plan will work and that it's all hopeless.

Well if that's the case, why don't they at least try and force the president to pull the troops out immediately? It is true that the funds used to increase troop levels are already in the budget. But they could take measures that would ensure that the troops would not be there for long, because they could cut future funding, or at least promise to do so once the necessary budget items come on the schedule again. Heck, they could even try to impeach the president as a means for forcing the situation. Senator Kennedy and John Edwards at least have the courage of his convictions to demand just that.

So what is going on here?

The Democrats

First the Democrats. To propel themselves into power last November, they encouraged the buildup of a large and powerful anti-war constituency, which is made up of Internet groups such as MoveOn.org, Daily Kos, and consists of activists such as Cindy Sheehan and the gals of Code Pink. These anti-war activists are now demanding that the piper be paid.

On the other hand, these Democrats remember the aftermath of Vietnam, and the slaugher in Cambodia and Vietnam that followed the communist takeover. The right has blamed them for that mess for decades, and they don't want to get tagged with that again.

Then there's Hillary. She's got huge problems now with Barack Obama and John Edwards. So, likea good Clinton, she's trying to have it both ways. On the one hand she doesn't want to be seen as in bed with the anti-war left, on the other she knows that a pro-war Democrat will never get the party's nomination. She's looking at all this in her usual cold and calculating fashion, which has become a problem in itself.

Their plan seems to be to hope that the Administration fails to pacify Iraq before 2008 so that they can reap the political benefits. I think that Democrats want the new plan to fail (see this amazing poll) because a defeat would make them more powerful, and what they really want is to push their socialist domestic agenda. Therefore, to them the entire concept of a "War on Terror" (or whatever we're going to call it) is a distraction, never mind the Iraqi War. It's all about furthering their domestic agenda.

The Republicans

On the GOP side, it's a bit different. Some are simply looking to 2008 and many believe that if they stay pro-war they'll be punished at the polls. Although the GOP does not have what you'd call an anti-war element, it's no secret that many in the party believe that the war is lost.

John McCain seems like a modern-day Churchill, standing tall and all alone. While I disagree with him on issues like illegal immigration and campaign finance reform, he is a man of principle. There are fewer and fewer like him. In a statement on his website he has it right when he says that "the potentially catastrophic consequences of failure demand that we do all we can to prevail in Iraq." Further,

Those who advocate such a policy have a right – even an obligation – to join the debate on this issue. But I believe these individuals also have a responsibility to tell us what they believe are the consequences of withdrawal in Iraq. Do they not fear Iranian, Saudi, and Turkish involvement in Iraq? A wider regional war? A haven for terrorists? A humanitarian catastrophe? Do they truly believe that we can walk away from Iraq?

At this point, Senator, I don't think any of them care. Some are just out to save their political skins, and others see the US as the source of all the world's problems and American intervention is only justified if absolutely no national security issues are at stake and the mission is strictly humanitarian.

Sen Brownback of Kansas is looking to the presidency in '08, and just got back from Iraq convinced that all is lost. He's under the illusion that the problems in Iraq should be addressed by diplomacy. His website states that Sec Rice and VP Cheney should to to Iraq and "lay the groundwork for a meeting of leaders from all three major Iraqi groups to take place outside of Iraq." He says that "we must win in Iraq", so I'll give him partial credit. I just think that diplomacy without security is a fool's erand.

Sen Hagel doesn't even want to win. His statement on Iraq reads like it could have been written by John Murtha. What a disgrace.

Symbolism Over Substance

National Review weighed in today with an editorial appropriately titled "Counterproductive Symbolism". As they correctly note, "the only effect the resolution can possibly have is to weaken the commander in chief and dampen the morale of U.S. troops." One might add that it will also encourage our enemies. Apparently, however, gaining political advantage, or saving one's own skin, is more important. As the editors of NR conclude,

Critics of the war once believed that we needed more troops to succeed in Iraq. Now that they have been shown to be correct, and President Bush is finally acting on that fact, all the critics want to condemn the move. If they think the war is hopeless, they should put their own political necks on the line and try to cut off funds. We think that would be a terrible course to take on the merits, but at least those pushing it would be acting with honesty and a kind of honor — qualities in short supply at the moment in the U.S. Senate.

Both have one thing in common; an unstated desire to see the Bush Administration order home US troops without Congressional intervention. Then they can claim that 1) Bush alone is responsible for the defeat, and 2) "See I told you the plan wouldn't work" But what if the new plan succeeds? I may have been too quick the other day to question the surge. Captain Ed reports that the Mahdi Army is under seige and that Task Force 16 is going after Iranians in Iraq. Both Democrats and Republicans such as Hagel will claim that it was their pressure that forced Bush to fire Rumsfeld and adopt new tactics. They'll say that they gave the plan a chance since they didn't cut off funds. They'll have no more trouble explaining away the resolution against the surge than they currently have explaining away all of their supposedly ernest statements about how certain they were that Saddam had stockpiles of WMD. After all, they know they'll have most all of the media on their side.

The bottom line is that Senator McCain is right; the stakes in Iraq are so high that we have to do all that we can do to win. If you disagree at least have the decency and courage of our convictions to demand an immediate withdrawal.

As you can tell I'm disgusted with the whole situation. The President and his administration may have mishandled the war, but at least they have a clear understanding of the stakes want to win. These hacks in the Senate are just playing politics.