The Sunshine Empire

One thing that has been lost in the Veeptastic Veepstakes this weekend is the news that American and Iraqi negotiators have come to a preliminary agreement that will withdraw forces from Iraq by 2011.  Now I was under the impression that timetables were for the cut-and-run defeatocrats, but this is certainly good news for our troops and the region.  Now many will say that this was only possible because some advocated a surge in U.S. forces to quell violence.  But let’s face some facts.  The initial invasion was predicated on a lie, and was done so badly that four years after the invasion the most powerful army in the world was looking defeated.  It should have never come to that.  The current line of attack (and a good one politically) from McCain surrogates is that Barack Obama is wrong for not saying that he would have supported the surge today knowing what he does now.  I think Obama has handled the situation badly, but George W. Bush and John McCain don’t deserve points now for getting done what should have been done four years ago.  There should have been no invasion, but even if it had happened it should not have been done on the cheap by the seat of Donald Rumsfeld’s pants.

Those that are writing about this huge development in the Iraq War seem to be saying that a timetable for withdrawal could take a valuable political point off the table for Obama.  This media narrative is where people get the slimy accusation that Democrats are depending on turmoil in Iraq to gain political positioning.  There are more than enough troubles facing the country caused by the 6 and 1/2 years of uniform Republican mismanagement to run on even without the Iraq War.  No self respecting American Democrat wishes for anything other than troops coming home.  Yet does this timetable for withdrawal mean that George W. Bush is a cut-and-run defeatist?