Tom Hayden: Anti-War Dynamic Accelerating, Bush Power Dropping (from HuffPost)

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Tom Hayden


04.24.2007
Anti-War Dynamic Accelerating, Bush Power Dropping (6 comments )

The implosion of the White House Iraq policy is unfolding on three tracks: on the ground in Iraq, in the clash between Democrats and Republicans over withdrawal, and in the widening scandals weakening the presidency itself.

On the ground: The US "surge" is only redistributing the casualties. Since Feb. 14, for example, 24 Americans have been killed in al-Diyala province, scene of a stalemated counter-insurgency effort.

In the seven weeks before Feb. 14, only ten Americans were killed in the province. Overall, the killing of Americans in Baghdad has doubled, while the number of US deaths countrywide has remained the same. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis called for US withdrawal on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Saddam, under the leadership of Moktada al-Sadr. . Insurgents blew up the parliament and an historic Baghdad bridge on April 12. Gen. Petraeus' wall in Baghdad is being repudiated by Sunnis and Shi'as. Meanwhile 131 members of the Iraqi parliament have called for a withdrawal timeline . The pillar of the al-Maliki government is unstable, even in danger of falling.

In Congress: Democrats have settled on a minimal anti-war position but one sharply at odds with Bush. The interaction with the battlefield is apparent; according to Gen. Petraeus, "the Washington clock is moving more rapidly than the Baghdad clock. So we're obviously trying to speed up the Baghdad clock a bit to produce some progress on the ground that can, perhaps... put a little more time on the Washington clock." .

House and Senate progressives will continue pushing for a timeline to end funding by next year. Assuming a Bush veto of the present legislation, the Democrats will keep forcing vulnerable Republicans to vote over and over for the war. The current majority may compromise by deleting the withdrawal deadlines in exchange for "enforceable benchmarks", to the dismay of most in the anti-war movement.

...(snip)...

The rapid weakening of the Bush White House shows no signs of abating. It is a pent-up response to six years of absolute Republican control of all branches of government. The dynamic is accelerating. It will be difficult to breathe strength into Bush's war if the Bush administration itself is being crippled in response to its arrogance of power. Call it an indirect impeachment. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-hayden/antiwar-dynamic-accelera_b_46743.html