Staying the course on a timeline to shift the blame
Many people are probably wondering what's up with the Bush administration lately. Not only have they disavowed their previous strategy of 'stay the course' but they have also embraced the once blaspheme 'timetables' for the Iraqi government. The simplest answer I can come up with is that Bush is once again searching for a scapegoat for his failures.
Consider that at this point, two weeks before the elections, control of Congress is looking increasingly in doubt for the GOP. The White House is said to be bracing for this shift and I believe this recent change in rhetoric has something to do with it.
Bush wants desperately to pawn the debacle that is Iraq off on someone else. And since he still has two years left in his term, the only two available options are the Democrats and the Iraqi's themselves. By setting these timetables, Bush can use them to blame the new Iraqi government for failing to control their own country. And even though the penalties for not complying with these deadlines doesn't involve troop level adjustments (or so we are told), I think this shift away from 'stay the course' may signal that Bush will indeed drawdown troops sometime between now and 2008.
Now while the prospect of Bush actually withdrawing troops is said to be, for now, a 'nonstarter', there are other factors that may affect any such decisions.
First is the 2008 presidential elections. As much as Bush wants to pass Iraq off to the next president, he still wants a member of the GOP at the helm. If the violence in Iraq is at it's current level (or worse) come 2008, any GOP candidate may have a hard time explaining how their policies would defer from the current administration's.
The Iraqi's have now been given 12-18 months to shape up and fly right. Guess where 18 months from now puts us? Smack dab in the middle of the next election-cycle. Bush can use the end of this timeline as an excuse to bring troops home just in time to influence the campaigns. The Repubs might even have the audacity to run on a slogan like "Help Bring the Troops Home. Vote GOP".
The other factor for why Bush may want to bring troops home before the end of his term is to salvage what's left of his presidency. He has found himself the lamest of lame ducks, even with an ally controlled legislature. Should the Dems take over, it will be even worse. But bringing home troops, and the media coverage of it, might help polish his image a little before his time in the spotlight runs out.
A famous fictional character once said, "With great power comes great responsibility". For this administration, however, it's all about the power.
Check out Billmon, Dan Froomkin, Robert Elisberg, Romesh Ratnesar, John Dickerson, and Michael Stickings.
(Filed at State of the Day)
Consider that at this point, two weeks before the elections, control of Congress is looking increasingly in doubt for the GOP. The White House is said to be bracing for this shift and I believe this recent change in rhetoric has something to do with it.
Bush wants desperately to pawn the debacle that is Iraq off on someone else. And since he still has two years left in his term, the only two available options are the Democrats and the Iraqi's themselves. By setting these timetables, Bush can use them to blame the new Iraqi government for failing to control their own country. And even though the penalties for not complying with these deadlines doesn't involve troop level adjustments (or so we are told), I think this shift away from 'stay the course' may signal that Bush will indeed drawdown troops sometime between now and 2008.
Now while the prospect of Bush actually withdrawing troops is said to be, for now, a 'nonstarter', there are other factors that may affect any such decisions.
First is the 2008 presidential elections. As much as Bush wants to pass Iraq off to the next president, he still wants a member of the GOP at the helm. If the violence in Iraq is at it's current level (or worse) come 2008, any GOP candidate may have a hard time explaining how their policies would defer from the current administration's.
The Iraqi's have now been given 12-18 months to shape up and fly right. Guess where 18 months from now puts us? Smack dab in the middle of the next election-cycle. Bush can use the end of this timeline as an excuse to bring troops home just in time to influence the campaigns. The Repubs might even have the audacity to run on a slogan like "Help Bring the Troops Home. Vote GOP".
The other factor for why Bush may want to bring troops home before the end of his term is to salvage what's left of his presidency. He has found himself the lamest of lame ducks, even with an ally controlled legislature. Should the Dems take over, it will be even worse. But bringing home troops, and the media coverage of it, might help polish his image a little before his time in the spotlight runs out.
A famous fictional character once said, "With great power comes great responsibility". For this administration, however, it's all about the power.
Check out Billmon, Dan Froomkin, Robert Elisberg, Romesh Ratnesar, John Dickerson, and Michael Stickings.
(Filed at State of the Day)
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