Posted on 03/30/2007 10:49:01 AM PDT by LS
In football, it's called "misdirection." Nineteenth-century soldiers used to call it a "demonstration." By any name, it's a diversion, a ruse designed to attract attention in one place to exert power somewhere else.
Think the hearings about the eight fired U.S. attorneys aren't related to the surge? Think again.
You have to give the Democrats credit for their dogged determination to lose the Iraq war, and for the creativity with which they have pursued that sick, disgusting objective.
This week's hearings on the firings of the U.S. attorneys is largely being discussed among the conservative media as an attempt to "get Rove" or even "get Bush." Perhaps. Certainly, if the administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill don't figure it out fast, we may hand them Gonzalez or even Rove by default.
But don't for a minute think this is about Gonzalez, or even Rove.
This is about Iraq. It's always been about the War on Terror---"How can we lose without looking like we're trying to lose?" the Democrats have asked themselves.
Prior to the 2006 election, they began their media artillery barrage, softening up the Republicans by assaults on President Bush, whether it was Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, gas prices, or Katrina. As any artilleryman knows, you rarely achieve a direct hit on a key enemy installation. Rather, the shelling has other purposes: reduce the enemy's ability to respond; to conceal your movements; and to inflict enough collateral damage that, in the words of General Norman Schwartzkopf, the main forces are "attrited."
This barrage succeeded beyond the Democrats' wildest dreams. Under the shelling, Republicans began abandoning President Bush, ducking for cover, pointing fingers, and otherwise abandoning their positions. Their cowardice (and, to be fair, often mere incompetence) made the Democrats' assault on their elective trenches almost effortless last November. Some positions were already abandoned (Foley, Ney), while others could not offer any resistance, having already turned on their commander (DeWine, Chaffee).
Even that was only the prelude. The main attack is now under way, with the diversion being the attorneys, a process designed to further diminish Bush's domestic support so that he is completely without allies on the Iraq issue. Like the Red Army, the Democrats sent their first units in almost unarmed---the resolutions, designed to probe weaknesses and reveal the cowards. Now comes the masses of conscripts, the bills with pork funding and timetables that will receive the expected veto. Democrats know they won't win this phase of the battle, either, and don't plan to. They are winnowing the President's legislative support while at the same time using up his energy and ammunition on Scooter Libby or defending Gonzalez. In the broad scheme of things, while they are of the utmost importance to Libby or the Attorney General, they are as meaningless as they are seemingly absurd.
But they are achieving their desired result. Scottish-law Arlen Specter threatens to investigate the administration. "Bail-out" Chuck Hagel votes with the Democrats. The battle lines are already fraying, leaving Bush in a 2007 version of Bastogne.
If he fights, the President likely can move money and men around for months to sustain the surge. Yet now it has become a race between the terrorists, who have an incentive to inflict as much damage as possible to make victory appear impossible, and the Democrats and their weak-kneed Republican allies, the latter of which will be under increasing pressure to abandon Bush once and for all. If the Democrats drive that wedge between them on the attorneys, so much the better.
Ultimately, President Bush, who has done so much right, must blame himself for allowing party discipline to collapse under the "new tone" and for failing to jerk the Democrats' dog-chain, early and often. It is not too late to hold the line, but it's getting darn close to the end.
This is a great piece, LS.
Pinging a few friends.
Very good...
Yes...it is very good, thanks for the ping.
It is a great piece. The new tone, while a worthy goal, has resulted in a worse tone and an administration letting Democrats and the media get away with the most outrageous lies I've ever heard in my lifetime.
BULL'S EYE!!!!!!!!!!, Mr. LS.
Thanks for the ping Bahbah, much appreciated.
Good work LS.
Chaffee was more like the officer who has been spying for the enemy his entire life.
Indeed. What a creepo.
This is a must read ((((PING))))! This commentary from our resident historian. Hopefully, you will find it interesting.
It's not just the Democrats. To be fair, they don't exist in a vacuum. There is a very strong undercurrent in America that feels Iraq is no longer worth our time. Some never thought it was, for a variety of reasons. Others have changed their minds, or are disillusioned with our incompetent leadership, and now want to leave. Either way, discontent runs very deep.
What you call a demonstration is actually a bit more. It's reconnaissance by fire. The Democrats are actively attacking the base of the war efforts support: money. The utter lack of outcry by the average America should be a blaring klaxon to everyone hoping for victory in Iraq. America, slowly but surely, is accepting the notion that Iraq is lost, and that the Democrats are basically doing what needs to be done to force President Bush to realize it.
We can blame the Democrats all we like, but we'd never be in this state if a large segment of America didn't have their backs.
PING
Thanks for the heads up. Useful and interesting.
The sum of the Demoscats efforts has been and will be a sewer backup on themselves. Left to their own devious devices, they have poisoned their own well.
Bush will be vindicated for what amateur politicians now percieve as spinelessness. Extraordinary guile need not be matched stroke for stroke by a master swordsman.
ADD: The so-called "party unity" of the Republicans is a myth. It's more akin to a mexican trainride with chickens flying down the aisle and babies squalling in the dusty rattling heat.
The pubbies, especially the ones supposedly in the world’s greatest debating society, asked for it. Remember Voinovich crying about Bolton. If it weren't for losing control of the Senate, there's nothing to cry about the defeat of DeWine or Chafee.
It's a sad fact that the MSM, particularly television, still hold sway over the minds of the average unconcerned sheep. they don't get it and never will IMO.
We have to continue to work to acquire power in other ways and husband it for the day when the sheep bleat in fear and start looking around for the sheepdogs.
I agree.
I don't agree with the notion that discontent over the WOT/Iraq runs deep.
It doesn't at all.
What we have is a public at large that isn't necessarily actively engaged with the war effort. Not gung-ho for it (at this time)...but certainly not gung-ho against it either (hell, every organized "protest" is simply made up of largely 60's hippies trying to relive their pathetic youth).
But back to the point.... It is (and has been) the lack of any coherent PR campaign out of the WH/RNC (and WOT supporting 527s) that have allowed for the MSM/DEMs to spin negative, negative, negative...With no counter to this spin and half-truths from our side....
So you add to this constant negative tone the fact that the public at large is "bored" (for lack of a better) term with Iraq right now and you have the current situation we are in.
A public who is not being actively engaged regarding our successes....A public that is "bored" (largely because they aren't hearing about our successes)...Along with a public that is getting nothing but negative news....You have a public that would rather it went away (but that doesn't mean they have deep discontent with the war itself).
If the WH/RNC (and most importantly WOT 527s!) would get on the offensive and put out a coherent and systematically relentless counter message touting our successes, touting the realities of what we face, touting the reasons why we must stay on the offensive and how AQ has made Iraq the front lines of this war.....I firmly believe the public would turn in a heartbeat to backing nothing less then victory in Iraq (WOT).
No, the discontent (where does exist) may be growing a mile wide...but it isn't even an inch deep....and could be turned around in short order if the energies and resources were allocated for doing so.
Chgogal,
Thanks very much for the ping.
LS,
Thanks very much for your essay. Well done!!!
So it's not quite fair to blame "the American people." They are acting, historically, as they always have. That's why leaders lead.
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