Can you hear that sound? It's Karl Rove laughing.
He has to be in absolute stitches after reading this story in the National Journal and others like it. General Casey's "gift" to the Democrats? Oh that is funny, funny, funny stuff.
The contest between the Repugs and Democrats now becomes more and more like a contest between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals, with the Repugs now scoring at will on BOTH baskets. The Dems are standing still, looking stupid. With a story about the lead General in Iraq asking for troop reductions
locked and loaded in the New York Times, of all places, the Dems could not agree to agree with the General. Seriously, what the hell? Since it's simply not possible for the Democratic party to have devised their own defeat on the issue of Iraq with such precision and timing (they are just too stupid for that), all credit must go to Rove. Boy he's good.
Under Rove, Republicans have now set themselves up nicely to take credit both for the war (possibly even a new war with Iran, see above article) AND troop withdrawals. Incredible! Democrats lose twice on the same issue. See? That's politics. That is how you play the goddam game. Karl Rove is a damned genius. Genius.
Oh, but won't the announcement by General Casey hurt the Republicans? Yeah, sure, in France....oh and Canada, Britain, the whole E.U., really, the Arab world, Africa, East Asia, certainly, India? - ah who the hell knows? - China, sure - all those places. In America? Nope. Why? Because in all those other places, there are politicians will JUMP on this announcement as yet more evidence that George Bush lacks any credibility whatsoever.
Here in the U.S.A.? Well, my own Junior Senatorette Maria "Like the Blondie Song" Cantwell is still bravely calling on the President to make 2006 a "year of transition". Seriously. It's just incredible. How anyone could think that such a statement would have any impact on a voter, I have no idea.
But of course that's exactly the point: To have no impact and hope for the "win" that you somehow deserve anyway - for some reason nobody can articulate.