June 26, 2006

Casey Steps Up to the Plate

  Partisan attacks against the Democrats concerning the Iraq situation have been running hot lately.
  Which is understandable.
  Sensing public distaste for the war in Iraq and suspecting that Iraq might cause the GOP to lose one or more houses of Congress, Senate Republicans last week put out a steady drumbeat of lame accusations to the effect that the Democrats simply want to “cut and run” in Iraq. They were successful. The Kerry and Feingold resolutions calling for withdrawal from Iraq were defeated in the Senate. Soundly.
  Which might have been the end of the issue politically.
  Fortunately for the Democrats, and unfortunately for the GOP, it turns out that General Casey , the commander of US forces in Iraq also wants to withdraw US troops from Iraq. This, according to an article in the Washington Post. There are no concrete plans that anyone knows of right now, but the fact that Casey’s wishes have been leaked to the media mean that the president too, is interested in getting troops out of Iraq. And the way things are going, it can’t happen too soon.
  The Iraqis too would like the US to leave. This fact has been known for some time. The current prime minister Nouri al-Malikin, now being propped up by US bayonets, realizes that to gain any legitimacy at all, he’s got to disassociate himself with the US occupation. So he’s making noises indicated that the Iraqis can handle their own security problems and would the US please get out of his country as soon as possible.  
  In any event it seems General Casey and the Iraqi PM together know something the GOP in Washington does not; that the Iraqi occupation has been essentially a failure and that it’s time to leave that quagmire.
  Staying the course, as the proverbial saying goes, simply compounds the errors already made in Iraq. Yet  some elements of the GOP seem to want the current situation to go on indefinitely. 
  Fact is,  the more damage the US inflicts on Iraq with airstrikes and so forth,  the more the insurgents have reasons to kill American soldiers and anybody else in Iraq thought to be allied with them.
  Iraq is a total mess. All the US can do now is save a little face, declare victory and withdraw.
  Gen. Casey is a patriot, and he won't  go along with the idea of an endless war/occupation which is unwinnable and produces nothing but KIAs and wounded soldiers. 

Posted  9: 20 AM     

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