Anybody hear Thomas Ricks on Fresh Air today? Pretty good! Also, Obama had what sounded like a pretty good interview on ATC (link...) this evening, though I missed most of it.

One of the things that drives me nuts is, How many major reports have we awaited over the last 4-1/2 yrs, only to have Dubya completely ignore them? (Except for this one, that is.) How is the Petraeus Report any more definitive and actionable than the Baker/Hamilton Iraq Study Group's, for example? Other than the fact that Dubya is finally hearing what he wanted to hear this time, of course. And after he has lowered expectations this far and gotten past the '06 elections too.

Petraeus is probably a pretty good guy, but his report is in effect his own job appraisal. What do you think he'd say about how well he's done his own job?

And part of the B.S. we rarely hear explained by the MSM is that they will HAVE to pull back the troops regardless, because the 15 mo. deployments will be up and the military won't have replacements.

We'll put stock in what Sen. Alexander says the moment he casts his first vote against the White House's latest "Plan for Victory" in Iraq.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

I'll dissent a bit on this one. I think that by putting the US Congress officially on the record in favor of a change of course - as minor as the ISG is - it will still stimulate White House pushback and lots of negative press between the GOP in Congress (that might support the Lamar move) and the Administration. It allows those of us opposed to the war to drive the narrative by giving the necessary backing to this albeit incremental shift in strategy. From there the momentum cannot be stopped and we get closer to making withdrawal from Iraq an inevitability.

The strategy of shooting the moon up to now - demanding full withdrawal - has only hardened the GOP into a corner. That's only helped the Republicans to refine their talking points and hide behind General Petraeus. But make no mistake about it, General Petraeus does not support the findings of the Iraq Survey Group or Lamar Alexander's bill.

So, instead of pitting a united Dem majority - but not a veto-proof one - against a united Republican minority with Bush in the White House, we could get a united Democratic majority (if the Dems go along) against a completely divided GOP. Under that scenario Congress could actually pass - over a White House veto - the first genuine shift in Iraq strategy since 2003. With that process in motion, the next President (likely a Democrat) can continue the withdrawal and redeployment apace without being accused of "stabbing the US in the back" as all the Weimar Republicans are itching to do. Oh, and the strategy might actually work because it'll get Iran and Syria to help on our side for once.

The strategy of shooting the moon up to now - demanding full withdrawal - has only hardened the GOP into a corner.

John Murtha proposed something sensible and got power slimed as a result.

Understanding the marketing aspects of a campaign of ideas is not that hard, but it does take a bit of organization. That's tough for a party of independant thinkers.