Recently, House Minority Leader John Boehner said we would have to wait
"60 to 90" days to see if the Iraq surge would work. This new time period has added to the complexity of understanding the passage of time in Iraq, at least according to pundits and politicians. Each has stated his important "drop dead" date for knowing whether we can "succced" "win" "prevail" or whatever. I think it is appropriate to review.
Please note this is not a comprehensive chart. I ask others to contribute, and update when another desperate politician realizes it is time to establish his or her own timetable.
First, there is the "Friedman," which is 6 months, named after the ever-reliable Tom Friedman.
Then, there's Joe Biden and his 6 weeks. I frankly do not understand what he was thinking, but perhaps when a pullout finally becomes indisputable to even the most committed wingnut, this will be the minimum bug out time. Placed on the scale, it works out to:
1 Friedman = 4 Biden
Of Course, Joe Lieberman and Bill Kristol both have stated that we will need to wait "6 to 9 months" (I am starting to think that these two are really the same person). Since 6 months is already taken, a Lieberman or a Kristol is 9 months, so:
1 Lieberman/Kristol = 1.5 Friedman = 6 Biden
Then there's John McCain. This is really hard, because he changes his story on just about everything hourly. However, I am going to call a McCain as 3 months, because the Senator recently told Wolf Blitzer that he was relying on "3 month-old talking points." Thus:
1 Lieberman/Kristol = 1.5 Friedman = 3 McCain = 6 Biden
Finally, there is the new "Boehner." The sobriety-challenged Congressman, like Lieberman/Kristol, has stated a range.
I will call 60 days a "Soft Boehner," and 90 days a "Hard Boehner."
I realize that 3 months and 90 days are almost the same thing, but seriously, I doubt that Senator McCain, who will be 72 by Election Day, would object to being associated with a Hard Boehner. Consequently:
1 Lieberman/Kristol = 1.5 Friedman = 3 McCain = 3 Hard Boehner = 6 Biden = 4.5 Soft Boehner
Finally, I cannot believe that Rush Limbaugh has not weighed in on the subject, but I can't stand to listen to his hateful droning for more than a few seconds. Perhaps someone out in Kosovania has a higher Rush tolerance, and can answer this question:
How many Boehners in a Limbaugh?