Iraq/Mideast

I don't understand all the chest-thumping by the GOPers concerning the Iraqi surge. They're acting like this was some brilliant victory -- and maybe it would have been if we hadn't been told almost four years earlier that the mission was already accomplished or that even earlier, that this whole thing would be a cakewalk. So sure the Iraqi surge was a brilliant victory -- but only if we ignore all the events leading up to it.

Well, I guess the best thing you can say about it is the very thing that's upsetting the GOPers most, namely, giving a date certain when we can start to leave. That date, plus the date we'll start withdrawing troops from Iraq after the election there, are the metrics we have for judging whether this move is a good idea or not.

For slow learners or readers who scan:

"...were not substantiated by the intelligence."

"...were contradicted by available intelligence information."

"...did not reflect the concerns and uncertainties expressed in the intelligence products."

"...did not reflect the intelligence community’s uncertainties as to whether such production was ongoing.

"...was not substantiated by available intelligence information."

"The Intelligence Community did not confirm..."

Screwed-up war, screwed-up economy - should anyone be surprised?

Americans are more dissatisfied with the country’s direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s, according to the latest poll. [NY Times]

George Bush declaring victory in Iraq at the National Assembly of Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville:

"I strongly believe the surge is working, and so do the Iraqis."

"And as a return on our success -- in other words, as we get more successful, troops are able to come home.... They're coming home because we're successful."

Great! So where's the timetable for withdrawal?