When President Bush goes before the American people tonight to outline his new strategy for Iraq, he will be doing something he has avoided since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003: ordering his top military brass to take action they initially resisted and advised against.
Bush talks frequently of his disdain for micromanaging the war effort and for second-guessing his commanders. "It's important to trust the judgment of the military when they're making military plans," he told The Washington Post in an interview last month. "I'm a strict adherer to the command structure."
But over the past two months, as the security situation in Iraq has deteriorated and U.S. public support for the war has dropped, Bush has pushed back against his top military advisers and the commanders in Iraq: He has fashioned a plan to add up to 20,000 troops to the 132,000 U.S. service members already on the ground. As Bush plans it, the military will soon be "surging" in Iraq two months after an election that many Democrats interpreted as a mandate to begin withdrawing troops.
Pentagon insiders say members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have long opposed the increase in troops and are only grudgingly going along with the plan because they have been promised that the military escalation will be matched by renewed political and economic efforts in Iraq. Gen. John P. Abizaid, the outgoing head of Central Command, said less than two months ago that adding U.S. troops was not the answer for Iraq.
Bush's decision appears to mark the first major disagreement between the White House and key elements of the Pentagon over the Iraq war since Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, then the Army chief of staff, split with the administration in the spring of 2003 over the planned size of the occupation force, which he regarded as too small.
It may also be a sign of increasing assertiveness from a commander in chief described by former aides as relatively passive about questioning the advice of his military advisers. In going for more troops, Bush is picking an option that seems to have little favor beyond the White House and a handful of hawks on Capitol Hill and in think tanks who have been promoting the idea almost since the time of the invasion.
"It seems clear to me that the president has taken more positive control of this strategy," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), one of those pushing for more troops. "He understands that the safety of the nation and his legacy is all on the line here."
This entire surge of American troops is a pure political calculation to save George Bush's presidential legacy, while allowing Bush to hand over this entire mess to his 2008 successor. The Joint Chiefs have got to realize that this small surge of American troops will not improve the American military situation in Iraq, nor will it reduce the level of sectarian violence there. The generals are going along with it because the president has ordered them to. And those generals who've criticized the president's policy in Iraq, such as General George Casey, Gen. John P. Abizaid, and even Gen. Eric K. Shinseki have been replaced by "yes men" generals. So tonight, President Bush will lay out his latest PR dog-and-pony-show plan on how to win the war in Iraq.
I was thinking that this would be a great time to start up a new drinking game regarding this president's latest Iraq speech. We know, from the BBC, that the theme of the president's speech will be sacrifice. So for each time that President Bush asks the American people to make a "sacrifice," or even uses the word sacrifice, down one shot of your favorite liquor--tequila, whisky, bourbon, brandy--whatever you fancy. For each time that President Bush invokes a quotation, or references from such Democratic presidents as FDR, Harry Truman, or even JFK, down two shots. For each time President Bush invokes a quotation or references from a Republican president, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. If President Bush invokes a quote or reference from Abe Lincoln or George Washington, then curse him in the most foul language you have. Feel free to add to this game.
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