Bush has NO CREDIBILITY left with the American people. His whole strategy was to have Gen Petraues sell this lemon to the American people--because the majority of people put the most trust in our military, as opposed to Congress and the president.
(Yes, I am aware of the sad irony that this administration spends more time thinking up political strategies to justify military strategies and policies that just don't work.)
Then the president could say, as he did, that he will listen to our military--personified by Gen. Petraues, and only do what he was recommended to do.
Complete garbage, of course. Bush fires Generals who disagree with him and promotes those who agree. Remember General Shinseki?? Who said we needed hundreds of thousands of troops to not win the war but secure the peace?
Undercut, and Pushed out.
Remember General John Abizaid, former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East? He couldn't support the "Surge" because, he argued, we didn't have the troops to spare, and he figured it would only serve to create more targets for the insurgents. He argued that the Iraqis needed to start taking responsibility for their own country and that a political solution was needed.
Fired.
General Casey? Commander of our forces in Iraq who dared to oppose the surge AND argued the Iraqis should maybe one day take over security?
Gone.
General Petraeus is not stupid. He knows he has to put on rosy glasses when discussing the surge. If he was foolish enough to say otherwise, he would be smeared the way Casey was for supporting "Retreat without victory", would unceremoniously be shown the door, and our Idiot in Chief would continue the surge anyway.
Petraues did as expected, as he was told. So the President is pretending that he is only interested in what Gen. Petraues, aka "our military", has to say. Then, he can smear the Democrats who must then, in turn, be opposed to the wishes of "our military". The whole idea is that this report sold by Petraues and Bush will turn the tide for the GOP.
MoveOn was smart. They didn't go after the president, who nobody trusts anyway. The advertisement went after how the General will white wash the problems in Iraq and exactly how he will do it.
If the American people don't trust Petraues, then the GOP strategy falls apart. Hence, that is why so much venom was heaped on MoveOn for their ad, and why they DEMANDED that the Democrats discredit them.
- Despite the fact that everything in the ad was true....
- Despite the fact that Dems refused to push another honorable General, Colin Powell, who outright lied about WMD to justify the invasion...
- And despite the fact that the GOP NEVER stood up to what were ACTUAL LIES about military war heroes like Kerry and Cleland...
the Democrats decided to capitulate to their GOP masters.
The Dems joined the bashing of MoveOn to discredit what THEY should have been saying in the first place. MoveOn was a wrench in the works, but the GOP played this masterfully and got the Democrats in Congress to help them out.
Well Done.
