New Year, New Plan for Iraq?

I've been away for too long. Now that I am beginning to settle back into a more normal routine (at least for a little while), I think it's time to take this blog back to its humble roots...political discourse. (Yes folks, it's been a while now since I've tackled the tough stuff.) So here goes...

According to Reuters, via Yahoo, some Senate democrats may support President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq to create a temporary "surge" in force. Carl Levin, (D-MI.) said he might support the move but added, "I can't believe the president is simply going to say, 'We're going to increase troops in Iraq...It's likely the president would add something of a conditionality to it."

In Levin's mind, the condition the President might call for would "need to be combined with the announcement of a reduction in U.S. forces starting in four to six months, and set political milestones for Iraq to meet." In other words, we'll throw up to 30,000 more U.S. men and women into the mix, then start bringing everyone home in a set time period of, oh say, 4-6 months...whether the job is completed or not. Whether the Iraqi's can stand on their own two feet yet, or not. Whether the commanders on the ground recommend this move or not. Whether conditions have changed, for better or worse, or not. No matter what.

Unconditional troop withdrawal in a set time frame...that's what the newly elected Democrat majority wants. Not victory, not improvement, not the tough backing of a fledgling democracy in a volatile region. They want the troops home and the "war they supported before they knew it would be a real war with death and problems" over...right now.

However, Levin's support of Bush's plan isn't sincere. If Levin and other prominent Democrats really truly wanted victory in this war, if they really wanted to make the sacrifices of the brave men and women in uniform who gave their lives for freedom in Iraq count, then they would be committed to doing whatever it took to bring freedom to the Iraqi people. They would not put unrealistic conditions on plans to send more troops in. In fact, instead of putting more conditions on the armed forces, they'd be better served doing all that they could to un-hamstring, for lack of a better word, the troops so that they could do whatever was necessary to aid in the freeing of the Iraqi people, not place more and more restrictions on their abilities to fight the war. What is needed is a little less restraint, a few less restrictions and conditions and more determination to win this war, once and for all.

So, it would seem that 2007 is going to start off a lot like 2006...Democrats saying they want us to bring the troops home no matter what, Bush and the current Republicans staying the course, when that isn't necessarily the best option and no one willing to do what it takes to win. Yep, 2007 sounds an awful lot like 2006 to me.