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Anti-War UnPlan

UPDATE: Support the troops! What happened last time a war got unfunded. 

WaPo edit bd nails it … or oak stakes it, in you prefer:

The Pelosi Plan for Iraq: It makes perfect sense, if your goal is winning votes in the United States. 

I’d modify that to “in Congress,” because I think the American people are going to lose patience with this.     

THE RESTRICTIONS on Iraq war funding drawn up by the House Democratic leadership are exquisitely tailored to bring together the party’s leftist and centrist wings. For the Out of Iraq Caucus, which demands that Congress force a withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of this year, there is language that appears to deliver that mandate, albeit indirectly. For those who prefer a more moderate course, there is another withdrawal deadline, in August 2008. Either way, almost all American troops would be out of Iraq by the time the next election campaign begins in earnest. 

Bad timing, when you think about it.  They should have gone for January 2009 as their exit date, or March.  Don’t want the shit coming out of the bag on the home stretch.  Americans might wise up and vote for the other guy.

 And there are plenty of enticements on the side: more money for wounded veterans, for children’s health, for post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction.

The only constituency House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ignored in her plan for amending President Bush’s supplemental war funding bill are the people of the country that U.S. troops are fighting to stabilize. The Democratic proposal doesn’t attempt to answer the question of why August 2008 is the right moment for the Iraqi government to lose all support from U.S. combat units. It doesn’t hint at what might happen if American forces were to leave at the end of this year — a development that would be triggered by the Iraqi government’s weakness.

A fundamental flaw with this abandonment thing.  The more likely Iraq is to fail, the faster we bail.  Flashing neon billboard to the world: Who needs enemies when you can have allies like us? Memo to self: Don’t worry, be happy!

… In short, the Democratic proposal to be taken up this week is an attempt to impose detailed management on a war without regard for the war itself. Will Iraq collapse into unrestrained civil conflict with “massive civilian casualties,” as the U.S. intelligence community predicts in the event of a rapid withdrawal? Will al-Qaeda establish a powerful new base for launching attacks on the United States and its allies? Will there be a regional war that sucks in Iraqi neighbors such as Saudi Arabia or Turkey? The House legislation is indifferent: Whether or not any of those events happened, U.S. forces would be gone.

…  Ms. Pelosi’s strategy leads not toward a responsible withdrawal from Iraq but to a constitutional power struggle with Mr. Bush, who has already said he will veto the legislation. Such a struggle would serve the interests of neither the Democrats nor the country.

Topics: Iraq, pols, military, vietnam

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:21 am on Tuesday, March 13, 2007

3 Responses to “Anti-War UnPlan”

1. RebeccaH Says:
   March 13th, 2007 at 11:55 am

   They’re crazy. Every last one of them. It’s the only explanation. About the only satisfaction I can get out of this is the fact that the Code Pink loonies are now camping on Pelosi’s doorstep. I hope she enjoys it.

2. Bill's Bites Says:
   March 13th, 2007 at 5:37 pm

   2007.03.13 Surrenderpolitik update

   Et tu, al-WaPo? Then die, Slow Bleed:

3. saltydog Says:
   March 13th, 2007 at 7:17 pm

   I’ve heard of political myopia, but the itch to get Bush has induced a case of this disease that is almost beyond belief.

   And I agree about Code Pink and Pelosi. It gives a moment of supreme satisfaction, rather like Obey being cornered by one of the “idiot liberals.”

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