Rock, Meet Hard Place?

With few in Congress except those mavericks John McCain and Joe Lieberman cheering him on (not to mention his 10-25% base who'd drink his Kool-Aid to the final drop), the President is showing the country he's going to do what we liberals assured everyone he'd do... give a big 'fuck you' to the country and drag this war out until the day the Constitution forces him from office (761 days and counting).

All discussion of where the war's heading must begin with that basic reality.

With that out of the way, there's news the President's making his long-term plans clearer-

President Bush, working to recraft his strategy in Iraq, said Tuesday that he plans to increase the size of the U.S. military so it can fight a long-term war against terrorism.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Bush said he has asked his new defense chief, Robert Gates, to report back to him with a plan to increase ground forces. The president did not say how many troops might be added, but said he agreed with officials in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill that the current military is being stretched too thin to deal with demands of fighting terrorism...

Increase the size of the army? We already know that the Republicans would never sacrifice their tax cuts (or *gasp* raise taxes) to pay for the increasingly obscene cost of this debacle. But furthermore, with no draft and few enlisting, the only remaining option is to abuse the already abused volunteer army (stop-loss orders and extended tours, calling up reserves, sending the National Guard overseas, etc). Unless there's something I'm missing here.

He is correct, of course, that the army is broken. What he won't admit is who broke it (hint: he'll see the culprit if he holds the current Time magazine cover in front of his face).

Ignoring for now the larger military needs, let's focus on issue #1- Iraq. Now added to the list of those who attempt to bring him down to reality (Baker-Hamilton group, we hardly knew ye)... the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Remember all Bush's rhetoric about how he listens to the military commanders? That was always bullshit (hey, he's the Decider), but I think that's soon about to be blown to pieces. Kevin Drum sums up the latest at Washington Monthly-

The Washington Post reports that the Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously oppose the idea of "surging" 15-30 thousand troops into Iraq in a last ditch effort to stabilize the country. Why? Because they think the White House is just casting around for plausible-sounding ideas and has no real plan for how to use the additional soldiers:

The Joint Chiefs think the White House, after a month of talks, still does not have a defined mission and is latching on to the surge idea in part because of limited alternatives, despite warnings about the potential disadvantages for the military.

....The Pentagon has cautioned that a modest surge could lead to more attacks by al-Qaeda, provide more targets for Sunni insurgents and fuel the jihadist appeal for more foreign fighters to flock to Iraq to attack U.S. troops, the officials said.

....Even the announcement of a time frame and mission -- such as for six months to try to secure volatile Baghdad -- could play to armed factions by allowing them to game out the new U.S. strategy, the chiefs have warned the White House.

If the Chiefs stand their ground, it will be very difficult for Bush to buck them. But if he gives up on the surge, what possible alternative can he offer that even remotely seems like a serious change of direction? Rock, meet hard place.

The White, of course, denies this. Which definitely means the original story is accurate.

Whether the Joint Chiefs will stand their ground or acquiesce is another story.

And if you truly haven't gotten yet what a nightmare our political situation will be in the next two years (with the President holding onto this war as if his very life depended on it, and congressional Republicans potentially acting like the obstructionists they always accused Democrats of being on matters of domestic legislation), the Charlie Brown and football analogy from my earlier entry about sums it up.

If anyone knows how to resolve this situation, now would be a great time to speak up.