What a treat: News-free war news

In deploying a classic, intelligence-insulting understatement to his troops, Gen. David Petraeus said more than he wrote: "it has not worked out as we had hoped."

What had he -- they -- "hoped"? That by now, Iraq would be an intersectarian oasis of brotherly love and democratic progress? That Sunnis and Shiites would be hugging one another on their way to the polls, to install in office scores of eminently fair-minded politicians willing to let ancient bygones be bygones? That after serving for a few months as little more than additional targets, surging American troops would suddenly have nothing to do in that oasis of love and progress but pack their bags?

No, of course not. And I apologize for the sarcasm, but all this continuing Groundhog Day nonsense invites it.

Things did, however, work out just as we had anticipated. In short, we're staying, with virtually the same troop levels (and by January, with troops we don't have; go figure), the same steady loss of American lives, the same noncooperation among Iraqi politicians, the same sectarian slaughter, the same fiscal drain, the same partisan stalemate at home -- and all with the same, determined imbecile in ultimate charge.

As we settle in for that long-term sameness, we've plenty of the short-term stuff, too. Throughout the next few weeks we'll be treated to those familiar cooked books on how the level of "violence there ha[s] diminished." And we'll be treated to more sorrowful confessions that "many of us had hoped this ... would be a time of tangible political progress," but it wasn't; inspiring, naturally, happy and confident predictions that fall, winter, or spring will be different.

We'll be treated to more White House palavering that Petraeus "wants to return to Washington for another assessment in six months to allow more time for Iraqi politics to catch up with what [he] regards as rapidly improving security conditions." And we'll be treated to more administration hogwash "that [Petraeus] can see a place in the future where he can begin to shift his weight from doing what he is doing now to a new phase of operations, and that new phase of operations will require fewer troops."

We'll be treated to more gibberish on the "delicate balance to be struck"; about how "if you [draw down] too quickly, you endanger the gains you have made." And we'll be treated to the habitual hocus-pocus that although "the president and his top advisers have pointed to the testimony from Petraeus and [Amb.] Crocker as a turning point ... officials are now indicating that they expect little change in strategy or force structure for the immediate future."

We'll be treated to more infantile blather about how the White House has "not seen the text of the testimony [Petraeus] plans to deliver to Congress." We'll be treated to more backtracking double-talk that "Although Bush has deflected political pressure to change course in Iraq by urging critics to wait for Petraeus's assessment, White House officials insist that the president himself will make the final determination of what to do."

And we'll be treated to more fear- and quagmire-inducing mumbo-jumbo on how "ethnic and sectarian 'fault lines' ... may be at relative peace for the moment, [but] violence is likely to reignite if U.S. troops depart."

It'll all be such a familiar treat, you won't even really need to watch the news to stay updated. Just rerun some video tape at your convenience -- any war-news tape from the last several months or several years. This will free up your time to do your part in bringing this Groundhog Day war to a successful conclusion -- by going shopping.

Comments

[Jim]

Exactly correct - PERFECT prediction of the next 30 days to come !

[Hotrod]

And Bush and Cheney will get away with it again, what with the Blue Dog "democrats" and lap dog media kissing his ass. What is it going to take to get people to wake up?

[ANGRY_DIANE]

For crying out loud, how much more of this crap do we have to take? IMPEACH these bastards - and Pelosi if she won't put this back on the freaking table....

enough is enough IMPEACH NOW!