Diplomacy?!! Oh No!

For all the President's tough-guy talk in public (Bush SMASH!), the real fact-- as his own commanders quietly admit-- is that the only way the Iraqi crisis will end peacefully is through a political solution, not a military one. Our military presence there only prolongs our problems.

So it's no surprise that, while the White House is yelling at Congress (oh, and the American people) for bringing up "exit strategies", his commanders are working this angle-

U.S. military commanders are talking with Iraqi militants about cease-fires and other arrangements to try to stop the violence, the No. 2 American commander said Thursday...

...Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said commanders at all levels are being empowered to reach out for talks with militants, tribes, religious leaders and others in the country that has been gripped by violence on a range of fronts including insurgents, sectarian rivals and common criminals...

...He said he thinks 80 percent of Iraqis — including Sunni insurgents and Shia militants — can reach reconciliation with each other, though most al-Qaida operatives won't...

Color me super skeptical. Still, this is certainly an avenue worth exploring.

Of course, politically cynical ol' me can't help but wonder what all the Republicans and general Bush cultists who accused Democrats of "treason" and "emboldening the enemy" for daring to suggest we need a timetable for withdrawal (which is now a moot point anyway) would say about the U.S. military negotiating with said 'enemy'. Oh wait, they probably wouldn't say a thing. Standard IOKIYAR (*) rules apply.

Cross your fingers and clap your hands, everyone.

[*It's OK if you're a Republican.]