Official Tells NBC Troop Surge Is "Political Decision"

[JABBS]

Click here to read the entire story.

<snip>

"(O)ne administration official admitted to us today that this surge option is more of a political decision than a military one ..." reports NBC News Pentagon Correspondent Jim Miklaszewski.

Liberal journalist Robert Parry wrote yesterday that the political decision of a troop surge should be called: "Operation: Save Bush’s Legacy, with the goal of postponing the inevitable until 2009 when American defeat can be palmed off on a new President."

I hope he's wrong -- I still have hope that some combination of military and diplomatic efforts can get the U.S. out of Iraq with the fragile democracy intact. But I fear Parry's right about Bush's motives.

[shain from kane]

1. A legacy saved through more killing? I don't get it.

[speedoo]

5. That's a rhetorical question, right?

This whole charade about "a new strategy" and this ridiculous decision is totally consistent with the way this evil misdaministration has conducted itself since 2000.

EVERYTHING is driven by politics, which is driven by greed and the quest for unchecked power.

[JABBS]

7. agreed

it's sad that more people in the punditry class don't put the pieces of the puzzle together.

The fact that Abizaid resigned three weeks after saying as much should have gotten far more ink.

[spanone]

2. How many more will die??? This is criminal.

The Bush* legacy should include him behind bars. IMHO

[salin]

3. many believe that all decisions about this war have been political.

[JABBS]

11. even if we "won" in Iraq before Bush leaves office

he'd still be seen as a failure, because all the pre-war reasons for going turned out to be untrue.

so it's important for the bush team to try to rewrite as much history now, rather than leave the task to others later.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

4. I'm Sure It's Just A Coincidence

King George would never do something that wasn't in the best interests of our troops or the military.

<sarcasm off>

[Cha]

6. DUH!

Of course, it's one of the political decisions that cheney has made..another one was the bombing of Iraq on March 20, 2003. We can see how far that got him in the long run.

America should be OUTRAGED that bushits are killing to up their polls. And bush says he'll work with Dems Unless that try and pass something that makes a political statement.

[Parche]

8. Serge in Iraq

I thought Bush was talking about this when he said "Serge in Iraq"

[texanshatingbush]

9. "Posterity is a cold thing to work for"--T.E. Lawrence

I've been saying for quite a while now that Bush's statements & actions are predicated on the fact that he does not want to have history record that he was the President who LOST a war which he himself initiated (by ensuring that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" toward Iraq & Saddam Hussein).

Impeachment SHOULD happen, but probably won't. Best revenge I think we can hope for is that Bush, in his lifetime, will be tarred and feathered as the MOST REVILED PRESIDENT EVER !!!! Not to mention the Most.Incompetent.Ever ! He's so egotistical that this, alone, would REALLY hurt. He's already signaled his concerns by noting that History won't "get it right" until he's been dead for 30 years. He should be so lucky.....

[JABBS]

10. he doesn't want to be remembered as a failed president

but the die has been cast, hasn't it?