Michael Gordon helpfully reminds us today that the views of most Americans and the views of most commanders in Iraq could scarcely be further apart. The reason is that the American public has essentially written off the war; but Washington has only just begun to buy into it. The Bush administration plans on committing over 100,000 troops there for the indefinite future – certainly an occupation that will endure for the rest of our lives. Ever since the Democrats lost their nerve last spring, commanders have assumed that they’re in it for the very long haul. Was that actually the whole point of the surge? Andy Bacevich thinks so:
In only one respect has the surge achieved undeniable success: It has ensured that U.S. troops won’t be coming home anytime soon. This was one of the main points of the exercise in the first place. As AEI military analyst Thomas Donnelly has acknowledged with admirable candor, "part of the purpose of the surge was to redefine the Washington narrative," thereby deflecting calls for a complete withdrawal of U.S. combat forces.
The key to this strategy is the Clinton Restoration. If the Bush family can get the other dynasty to buy into the occupation, the empire expands – as the republic hollows out from within. With $1 trillion gone, this Mesopotamian province will continue suck $3 billion a week from what’s left of the treasury. You can see why Greenwald is hyper-ventilating. If you think the Clintons will withdraw, you probably think they’ve had nothing to do with the slime covering Obama right now. Good times.
(Photo: Baquba by Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty.)
The Dish 