The Cut-and-Runners Have Won, and They're Bush/Cheney

Now that Condi has negotiated the very timetable for withdrawal from Iraq that this administration has been calling treasonous for the past three years, will anyone hold them accountable for the pure political motivations for their turnaround? Or will America be as obscenely forgiving of this attempt to deprive Obama of an issue as they've been willing to take amnesia pills about the gang that preferred "The Pet Goat" to "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US"?

Poor John McCain. His hundred-year occupation now looks more imperial, and less sensible, than ever. His bipolar framing of Iraq -- Democrats want to surrender, but I'm going to stay there until we win -- now smacks more than ever as the dementia of General Jack D. Ripper, rather than the steely resolve of Truman or TR.

The advice of the generals on the ground... the patriots who put country before politics... the contemptible surrenderists... the timetables that mean that the terrorists have won... all the Republican rhetorical crap of the post-Mission Accomplished era, which was masquerading as statesmanship, is now -- as the Nixon crowd called it -- inoperative. Negotiating a sensible timeline for withdrawal with Iraqis turns out after all to be good for them, and good for us, and good for the war on terror. Who would have thunk it? And who will explain it to the families of the dead and wounded American troops, not to mention to the millions of displaced, demoralized and dead Iraqi civilians?

Depend on a revisionist account from the White House that makes this stunning reversal the inevitable consequence of all they've done before. But just because they're good at propaganda doesn't mean we have to be good at stupid.

Follow Marty Kaplan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/martykaplan

Comments

[lucite]

Sorry but Condi did not negotiate a timed withdrawal. The Iraqian puppet government bit Bush in the arse. We have been asked to leave and to leave quickly. This has been a fact for about 8 months now. Our press did not inform the American people of such an important news story. The surge did not calm the violence in Iraq. Negotiations among Sunni and Shite tribal leaders took place months before the surge. Without our troop withdrawal the negotiated peace would be fragile at best. So sad with 24/7 news broadcasting, we still never get the real news.

[Doofus]

You could say that the Repos have two months to
achieve 'Mission Re-Accomplished', get the Iraq
War over-&-done, win the November election.

What are the chances?

Can you say 'George Bush, Presidential Genius?'

or 'Worst President Ever'. What'll it be?

What WILL it be?

[Artemrs]

Sadly, so true, so true. Many of us knew we were duped from the very beginning. This invasion, this preemptive horror on hundreds of thousands innocent Iraqi citizens, shameful. Will Americans who still cling to this policy ever admit this was a complete sham? I hope the Bush administration will be held accountable for this crime against humanity. But I won't hold my breath.
Obama '08

[BethStuart]

I strongly suspect that nobody in the Bush/Cheney administration is keeping McCain informed about what's going on in Iraq. It's a telling commentary on how little respect they have for the presumptive Republican candidate.

[rudyinbama]

They should be asking McCain every day if Bush is purposely "losing a war" for popularity.

[hawkeye58]

And whatever happened to the "they'll follow us home" argument for never leaving?

[Star2000dancer]

There would have never been a 911 if Gore had been President.

[tubette]

McCain's supporters need to have this shouted in their ear.... because no one is even talking about the timetable on the right.

[jmad]

Poor john. His handlers forgot to tell him the game changed again. What a convenient time to adopt a withdraw timeline. The sycophant neo-convict crowd has always changed their position while playing the blame game on their opponents.
Power is more important than logic.

[instagladiator]

Oh they're just going to change the name of the game - Georgia needs assistance in maintaining democracy (coff coff).

[bronceye]

Neoconmen trying to take credit for the Obama/Maliki peace plan. Makes me sick. Bush leaving his playground to try and claim statesmanship? Retreaticans, that's what they are.

[jmpurser]

Yeah, it's nice to be able to say "I told you so!" but for the last 30 years merely being proven right time and again doesn't get you much credibility. If it did Liberals and Progressives would be running this country, the GOP would be extinct, and there MIGHT even be a place for liberals and progressives in the Democratic party.

[Ramirez]

"Originally, the administration suggested that the key measure was whether it gave breathing room for political reconciliation. So far, I think we have not seen the kind of political reconciliation that’s going to bring about long-term stability in Iraq." — Barack Obama, July 22, 2008


"Let's be clear, our troops have completed every mission they've been given. They have created the space for political reconcilia­tion." — Barack Obama, August 20, 2008

[jmpurser]

This post shows Obama stated the obvious truth quite clearly twice. So what was your point?

[ChimpNchief]

Yeah, let's see if the political process will ever take place. So far, elections have been put off for another year.

[PenFighter]

So were you trying to make this seem like a flip-flop? If so, you probably should have read the quotes a little closer. There is no disparity between "our troops have ...created the space for political reconciliation" and "So far, I think we have not seen the kind of political reconciliation that"s going to bring about long-term stability in Iraq"

One says our troops created the space for reconciliation, the other merely points out that the Iraqis didn't take advantage of it.

[montemalone]

Never assume that the wingers know how to read and comprehend. Unless they hear it on the am dial, they're just guessing.

[Mike789]

The first quote is a reference to the Surge, the second quote to the timetable.

At least to my knowlege, the pivotal bit of Iraqi statesmanship related to the sharing of oil revenues has not been agreed upon.

Any "sustainable" rapproachment between the regions and their associated secarian differences hinges on this issue.

I maintain, you can tie it up with a pretty ribbon. Within 6 months corruption will prevail and the Iraqis will choose to squabble about 11th Century Islamic law, than move forward into the 21st Century. Why? The authority of the religious leaders will not bend to progress. Their power lies in keeping the public misinformed.

A stay of 100 years might create the psychological distance, but it doesn's matter much if you withdraw troops tomorrow or ten years from now. Regardless, thanks to Neocon quess-meistering, the pot of sectarian hatred has been stirred.

[Beachrunner]

Good to know everyone wants us to stay in Iraq forever. Here I was starting to think that Obama and all the other "out of Iraq now" types wanted us to leave.

Happy to see it was just political grandstanding.

[Gidster]

Didn't you know? Get out of Iraq now was merely left wing code for stay for 100 years!
lol

[StillAmused]

There's a simple, physiological explanation for the ability of neocons to shamelessly double back on their own lies and slogans when circumstances require... they were born without the gag reflex.

[twgbonehead]

No, they've just learned to overcome it with lots of practice, starting at about the same age as the Chinese gymnastics team did...

[larryfishkorn]

Well, the good news is, now we all know what they meant by "conditions on the ground".

[HGS111]

I heard a cool aid drinker on the TV yesterday say.. " McCain was right all along, when he was the only senator to push for the surge that has worked so brilliantly.