Couple more Thoughts re: Iraq

First, I have to give some credit to Hillary and to Joe Biden for coming up with the logical rejoinder to Bush's lame "surge" proposal: put the troops in Afghanistan! We need to counter the increase in Taliban activities, and it seems we are stretched very thin there. Unlike Iraq, we have a government there worth preserving, direct effect on the war on terror, and a situation not yet irredeemable. And, if Dubya wants to do something for his legacy, capturing or killing Osama and Mullah Omar would seem his best bet on the anti-terror front.

Second, a concept for Congress: let Dubya have a little maneuver room, but at the same time a shorter leash. Authorize expenditures for the Iraq war for a shorter period of time, six months, at a slightly higher spend rate than was initially requested (pre-surge). Dubya could do his short-term ramp-up, but he wouldn't be able to sustain it for long (the real danger of escalation); he'd need to come back pretty soon to ask for more money, and that's when we put the drawdown requirement on the conduct of the war.