What did the anti-war left get for putting Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid? Let's see the headlines:
Democrats Relent On Pullout Timetable
Democrats Drop Troop Pullout Dates From Iraq Bill
Democrats capitulate on war funds
In the end, the Democrats did not have the courage to cut the funding and the war quickly. They have punted for now and will wait until the fall. They are also afraid of being accountable for the aftermath if they force a rapid withdrawal from Iraq.
At the same time, it could be that Democrats are getting a sense of realism. Perhaps, they saw this:
"Rohan Gunaratna told a security conference at Lloyd's of London insurance market that Iraq, like Afghanistan in the 1990s, would become a "terrorist Disneyland" where al Qaeda could build up its strength unchallenged.
If U.S., British and other coalition troops withdrew from Iraq in the next year, he said, "certainly the scale of attacks that would be mounted inside Iraq, and using Iraq as a launching pad to strike other Western countries -- countries in Europe, North America - would become such that after two or three years, the U.S. forces will have to go back to Iraq."
The Singapore-based academic and writer said the epicenter of international terrorism had already switched from Afghanistan to Iraq.
"In many ways, the terrorist threat has now shifted 1,500 miles closer to Europe." (Iraq a "terrorist Disneyland" if U.S. goes: expert)
Democrats Relent On Pullout Timetable
Democrats Drop Troop Pullout Dates From Iraq Bill
Democrats capitulate on war funds
In the end, the Democrats did not have the courage to cut the funding and the war quickly. They have punted for now and will wait until the fall. They are also afraid of being accountable for the aftermath if they force a rapid withdrawal from Iraq.
At the same time, it could be that Democrats are getting a sense of realism. Perhaps, they saw this:
"Rohan Gunaratna told a security conference at Lloyd's of London insurance market that Iraq, like Afghanistan in the 1990s, would become a "terrorist Disneyland" where al Qaeda could build up its strength unchallenged.
If U.S., British and other coalition troops withdrew from Iraq in the next year, he said, "certainly the scale of attacks that would be mounted inside Iraq, and using Iraq as a launching pad to strike other Western countries -- countries in Europe, North America - would become such that after two or three years, the U.S. forces will have to go back to Iraq."
The Singapore-based academic and writer said the epicenter of international terrorism had already switched from Afghanistan to Iraq.
"In many ways, the terrorist threat has now shifted 1,500 miles closer to Europe." (Iraq a "terrorist Disneyland" if U.S. goes: expert)
No matter what, Pres. Bush will get to have his "surge". Based on early reports, it is working, although I'm not suggesting that things are perfect.
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