Standing Up and Standing Down

This just in from Korea - Incidentally, is it me or is it astonishing how much domestic flack the W, Rove and Co is needing to deal with when they should be focused on Asia:

Q Do you think that Congressman John Murtha is out of the mainstream with the Democratic Party with regard to Iraq? He is somebody I assume that you know pretty well in terms of his position on defense issues. Do you think he's out of the mainstream?

MR. HADLEY: He's a veteran, a veteran congressman, and a great leader in the Congress. On this issue, the President believes he's wrong. And it was interesting that just two days ago the Senate of the United States, in voting on the Levin amendment, had an opportunity to reject the position of deadlines or immediate pullout of troops. So we think it's the wrong position. We do not see how an immediate pullout contributes to winning the war on terror, bringing stability to Iraq, how it makes America, the United States more secure. It doesn't seem to achieve any of the objectives that we have. And so we simply believe that the Congressman is wrong on this issue.

If you listened to Your Call, today on NPR, you would have heard a fine set with Robert Fisk, who knows a thing or two about the Middle East. He suggests that the denigration of the various ethnic populations in Iraq is really the wrong way to go. Sunnis, Shiites - they are not all that different from each other, like the difference between Congregationalists and Baptists.

I was out for my AM run today and got to thinking about the conundrum that has us stuck in Iraq. There is this whole trick the W, Rove and Co is playing with us by equating a pull out of our troops with loosing the war on terror. Not all Iraqis are terrorists. In fact, most of the terrorists gravitated to Iraq after we arrived. Indeed, pulling out is the whole goal of the occupation no? So, some one suggesting we pull out is not the same as suggesting we give up on terrorist and terrorism.

Really, the W, Rove and Co show their true aims about not wanting to ever leave when they suggest that pulling out is equivalent to loosing the war. In fact, there is no room for the New Iraqi Army to stand up, until the US stands down. Which comes first is more than just a chicken and egg question. It has to do with the fundamental flaw with the W, Rove and Co policy (as if there was just one). They would have you believe that the US will stand down when the Iraqi police, etc...will be ready to stand up. Unfortunately, one may not precede the other.

Murtha suggested we stand down in Iraq and redeploy to a more aggressive attack on individuals rather than smiting whole populations simply because of religious affiliation. We might do well to follow his advice. And, with several dozen, specially trained, small teams of terrorist hunters, we may be more effective at routing out and smudging terrorist cells and those who organize them.