What Does it Mean if the Surge Is Working?

A lot of people have staked a lot on President Bush’s latest military tactic failing in Iraq.  For those of you that may not have been paying that much attention, we have recently increased our “foot-print” in Iraq by increasing the number of troops.  The goal is to smoke out the terrorists by providing aid to the people, providing them with security, and forcing them into coming into the open.

We are actively awaiting the report from Army Gen. David Petraeus, which is due in September.  At that time he will tell Congress how “the surge” and the overall war is doing.  By the looks of things, the Democratic House and Senate do not want to hear his report.

Personally, I believe that a lot of people’s minds are made up regardless of the facts on the ground.  No matter what Gen. Petraeus says someone will spin it to their advantage.  If it’s positive for Bush, they will claim that he’s a crony or not being truthful.  If it’s negative, then they’ll also say he’s in it for his own gain or prestige.  This guy has it hard.

But the other group that has it harder are those that are invested in the defeat of the American military

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party’s efforts to press for a timetable to end the war.

Clyburn, in an interview with the washingtonpost.com video program PostTalk, said Democrats might be wise to wait for the Petraeus report, scheduled to be delivered in September, before charting next steps in their year-long struggle with President Bush over the direction of U.S. strategy.

Clyburn noted that Petraeus carries significant weight among the 47 members of the Blue Dog caucus in the House, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats. Without their support, he said, Democratic leaders would find it virtually impossible to pass legislation setting a timetable for withdrawal.

Hat Tip: Say Anything

It appears that all the hopes of bringing the troops home rest on them losing– what a strange position for a major party in the United States to have.