March Is the New September

We've finally made it to our moment (month) of truth. It's September, which has long been held out as the last chance the Prez has to hold on to Republican support for the war in Congress. Those hanging around to try for another term, as the argument goes, would be worried about how the war will undermine their election chances. Or at least that's what they said a few months ago. Now most Republicans seem content to believe the cooked numbers about the surge and aren't so worried about their election prospects. And General Petraeus is going to suggest a new line six months down the road toward which we can start kicking the can. Today's Washington Post reported that the general wants to come back in six months and tell us how the war seems to be going then. We can keep this up for years (which is exactly what the Bushies seem to be trying to do). In March, just eight months before the election, we'll be told that things are getting better slowly but still quickly enough to make it worth remaining involved. The U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan and independent institute that gets its funding from Congress issued a report saying that the U.S. should maintain a presence in Iraq for another five years. That puts it right at the forefront of issues for the 2012 election, never mind about 2008. And the Democrats? They'll go right along with it.

I hope tonight I dream about what it would be like to have an opposition party.