This is what passes for political bravery in Washington these days — non-binding resolutions.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s nice to see Congressmen finally doing their job for once as one-third of our Federal power structure. I just wish it hadn’t taken them more than four years.
But let’s get two things straight:
1) It’s not a “surge.” That would imply an unprecedented troop level. 20,000 to 30,000 more GI’s would not top the highest level of troops America has put in country.
Further, it’s not as if there was some pool of 30,000 grunts sitting on their asses back in the states running the obstacle course and razzing the sarge. 30,000 “more” troops is 30,000 men and women having their tours extended or not being released for appropriate psychological reasons.
2) It’s not a “strategy.” Bush apologists are quick to respond to the above fact by stating that what’s going to make this work is the new rules of engagement, and a heightened focus on Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad (Sadr City in particular). As both the right-wing blogs and the mainstream media have it, General Petraeus is the second coming of Sun Tzu, pre-Waterloo Napolean, and Patton all rolled into one.
What they seem to have forgotten is that Petraeus is the wunderkind who was charged with building up an Iraqi army as early as 2004. He failed miserably. (To paraphrase Woody Allen, even Princeton makes mistakes.)
Magical thinking is not a strategy, and it’s not something worthy of serious debate. I can sincerely hope for hundred dollar bills and Shakiras to fall onto my lawn every morning. When that doesn’t happen, it would be a little petulant of me, if not downright paranoid, to think that all of my neighbors were rooting against my success.
