Bush Challenges Opponents of His Iraq Plan

It appears that the Bush administration is lashing out like a crybaby here--nobody likes President Bush's troop surge plan. So what is an embattled Bush White House suppose to do? Why, attack the Democrats of course. This is off the New York Times:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush on Saturday challenged lawmakers skeptical of his new Iraq plan to propose their own strategy for stopping the violence in Baghdad.

''To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible,'' Bush said.

In a pitch to lawmakers and the American people, Bush said the United States will keep the onus on the Iraqi government to take charge of security and reach a political reconciliation. He countered Democrats and his fellow Republicans who argue that Bush is sending 21,500 more U.S. troops into Iraq on the same mission.

''We have a new strategy with a new mission: Helping secure the population, especially in Baghdad,'' Bush said in his weekly radio address. ''Our plan puts Iraqis in the lead.''

The president, who hosted an informal, mostly social gathering of Republican leaders at Camp David on Friday night and Saturday, asked for patience from lawmakers from both parties. They had grilled Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last week when the officials testified before Congress in defense of the president's plan.

[....]

Bush said lawmakers ''have a right to express their views, and express them forcefully. But those who refuse to give this plan a chance to work have an obligation to offer an alternative that has a better chance for success.''

So the Democrats have a right to express their views, but they still must give the Bush surge plan a chance to work before opposing it. And since the Democrats oppose the Bush administration's troop surge plan, then they are required to offer their own alternative plan in place--the Republicans in Congress who oppose the Bush plan certainly don't need to offer an alternative. They just need to rally around the president's plan. At least that is how this political blame-game is being played out through the Bush marketing office. There is just one problem; the Democrats don't need to offer an alternative plan. An alternative plan is already out there. I'm sure you've heard of it Mr. President--it is called the Iraq Study Group? You can download the full report in a PDF file here. Unfortunately, two days after the Iraq Study Group report was published, the Bush administration threw the ISG report in the garbage, vowing to come up with a "new strategy" on Iraq.

Mr. President, you certainly did come up with a "new strategy" on Iraq--this proposed troop surge. The American people have decided to throw your "new strategy" into the garbage. Before you start complaining about the Democrats coming up with an alternative plan, why don't you pull that copy of the ISG report out of the White House trash bin and implement it!