On MSNBC yesterday afternoon Col. Jack Jacobs advanced an intriguing possibility. He noted that General Patraeus in confirmation hearings said he would need 120,000+ troops to carry out an effective anti-insurgency and that Patraeus was willing to take over with less than that number. Could it be that the General did not make a big deal about the numbers since the real goal of the surge is to provide cover for a withdrawl and that General Patraeus would be the man to preside over redeployment?
Politically the Republic Party (If GWB can remove the last two letter of the Democratic Party name's, so can I with the GOP.) would get a boost just before the 2008 election as troops returned. And they could blame the hapless Iraqis for the failure to secure Bagdad.
Remember also that there's been a lot of commentary about how the Iraqis are under the gun. Secretary of Defense Gates made the point that they would reevaluate the Iraqis performance and react appropriately. He never did say what that reaction might be. Could this surge be the cover/excuse the administration uses to disengage?
What do you think?