Yikes ... is everyone but the DNC talking withdrawal ???

[welshTerrier2]

the Captain's been thrown overboard and the first mate's been knocked unconscious ... the good ship Democrat may be heading for the rocks ... somebody over there at DNC HQ better wake up in a hurry ... this isn't my usual rant about the insanity of continuing military operations in Iraq ... this is about politics ...

the DNC, at least according to their website, continues to highlight the "we can't just pull out" meme ... perhaps it's just the leftovers from the election ... if so, it needs updating ... does the DNC think they can go back to sleep until 2006 ???

so now, Congressman Coble (R-NC), a close bush advisor, is calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Congressman Leach (R-IA) seems likely to join him ... without a doubt, these are trial balloons being floated ... regardless of bush's original intent in invading Iraq, like establishing a military foothold in the region to control the oil, the current situation has deteriorated so badly and the military efforts have been such a visibly obvious failure, the republicans may very well be considering a "declare victory and leave" strategy ...

even if they wanted to stay, they may very soon be confronted with what's called the "Phillipine option" ... the main idea of this is that the new Iraqi government after the election may very well tell the U.S. to get the hell out ... so perhaps the republicans are planning a more politically viable exit ... they will cite bush's great courage in standing up to Saddam and toppling him ... they will cite how we were able to bring free elections to the people of Iraq ... and they will blame the Iraqis for failing to "stand up for themselves" after all the excellent training they received from America's brave men and women ...

and the Democrats ??? will the DNC take to the streets to argue for continuing the fight against the "insurgents" ??? the Democrats will be left with no cards to play ... their failure to stand as an opposition party will make them totally irrelevant as bush hordes all the credit on one of the major issues facing our country, facing Iraq and facing the rest of the world ... as we peek into DNC headquarters, it's clear the lights are out and nobody's home ...

don't think republican supported withdrawal is a possibility ??

read this (subscription required to the NY Times):

Hot Topic: How U.S. Might Disengage in Iraq

<snip>

But the president's optimism is in sharp contrast, some administration insiders say, to some conversations in the White House Situation Room, the Pentagon and Congress. For the first time, there are questions about whether it is politically possible to wait until the Iraqi forces are adequately trained before pressure to start bringing back American troops becomes overwhelming. Some senators are now openly declaring that Iraqi military and police units are not up to the job.

<snip>

In classified strategy sessions, other administration officials say they are asking whether the sheer size of the American force, now 150,000 troops, is fueling the insurgency.

By last fall, the Pentagon had drafted contingency plans to begin reducing the American presence in Iraq as early as July 2005. But senior military officers say no one's picking a date now, and that any withdrawal depends on what happens after the elections, the security situation in Iraq, and the ability of Iraqi forces to secure the country.

One possibility quietly discussed inside the administration is whether the new Iraqi government might ask the United States forces to begin to leave - what one senior State Department official calls "the Philippine option," a reference to when the Philippines asked American forces to pull out a decade ago.

Few officials will talk publicly about that possibility. But in a speech on Oct. 8, Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, who had just completed a tour as commander of all marines in Iraq, said, "I believe there will be elections in Iraq in January, and I suspect very shortly afterward you will start to see a reduction in U.S. forces - not because U.S. planners will seek it, rather because the Iraqis will demand it."

<snip>