Did Robert Novak Get It Right?

On September 8, I blogged a few lines in praise of Pat Buchanan for his realistic assessment of the neocon policies that have led up to the mess in Iraq. It’s always a welcome spectacle to see conservative pundits blasting a Republican president and/or his advisors.

It’s the sort of thing that just doesn’t happen all that often.

So imagine my surprise in finding out that Mr Robert Novak, reactionary pundit extraordinaire for the Chicago Sun-Times, is   reporting that Mr Bush’s advisors are now intent on withdrawing from Iraq.

Getting clean out. Fast. Just like that.

Just as soon as the new Iraq elections are held. And assuming Mr Bush wins his election.

Trouble is, what Novak  reports is not the message that the Bush team is giving us.

In fact, the kind of withdrawal Novak writes of, directly contradicts all the hang-tough rhetoric being put out for public consumption at GOP rallies and campaign stops. The administration’s current policy. at least as it is publicly stated, is to stay the course. Vice-President Cheney in particular is adamant about this and ridicules Sen. Kerry for even suggesting an exit strategy. Yet here’s Robert Novak telling us that Mr Bush will be pulling US troops out of Iraq in just a few short months.

Yet  Mr Cheney keep smacking down Sen. Kerry when Kerry  demands an exit strategy.  For weeks his been telling us that setting a timetable for an exit from Iraq just encourages the terrorists to wait things out, and then go back to doing their deadly work once the US withdraws.

So, according to Mr Cheney’s logic, any bad guy (or girl)  who by some miracle happens on Novak’s column in the Sun-Times, will immediately stop their murderous rampages. Mr Cheney thinks they'll call a halt to their nefarious little plots,  put away their  AK-47s, hide away their rocket launcher and explosives and simply wait things out till the US leaves.

I guess the US is lucky.  Not many Middle Eastern terrorists, or insurgents, or whatever you want to call the murderous thugs, read US newspapers.

So what’s going on?

If, as Robert Novak suggests, the administration has secret plans to get the hell out of Iraq in January, of 2005, they should simply say so.

If not, not.

The administration owes the American people an explanation as to how and when it proposes to get out the US out of Iraq before it turns into Middle Eastern version of the Vietnam War. 

If it hasn't become that already.

Punditwalla--