Posted by
JDComments on Saturday, December 16, 2006 10:09:26 AM
Fred Barnes is
reporting that Bush is reviewing a plan put together by experts which redirects the policy in Iraq. No, it's not
that plan, but rather one formulated by
military experts [what a quaint idea-asking people who know something about warfare, as opposed to a motley crew of accomplished individuals with next to no such expertise].
According to Barnes the gist of the new strategy is increasing troop levels substantially, and using them to pacify and
hold Baghdad, something which we have not been able to do in the past due to limited manpower.
[ Frederick Kagan , one of the authors of the new study, has posted it
here for anyone who wants more detail].
After Baghdad is secured and sectarian violence contained it is believed that the establishment of a national government can continue and the political part of the process can finally be successful.
Now this is certainly not a new approach, and many have been amazed we haven't done it sooner. In fact, this is much more in line with the kind of policy espoused by Shelby Steele [ see
post ] which recognizes our responsibility to finish what we start as opposed to the half hearted efforts that result from our refusal to accept our hegemonic role. As nice as it is to think we can allow the Iraqis to take it from here, that is delusional and suicidal to believe and it is up to us to provide the power to recreate this country.
Inevitably there will arise the clamor from those who say this is exactly the opposite of the approach of the ISG, which calls for us to assume an increasing training role and the Iraqis doing the legwork. Well I can't think of a better vote of confidence in a plan than to have it compared unfavorably with that travesty of bipartisanship.
The key question is why would Bush do this now when he has resisted in the past? I think he knows we are down to the "put up or shut time", and with his Presidency winding down and no elections for two years he , hopefully, will make the judgment that it is now or never if his vision of the Middle East is ever to be given a fighting chance. We have this one last chance before the Liberals and their allies can begin their effort to emasculate us once again and appease the Islamic Terrorists by having us withdraw with our tail between our legs. We have to make this count or risk the trauma to our national psyche that many of us remember after Vietnam. When faced with a determined enemy we cannot allow that to happen.