I think the President will win this, but like all compromises, it has to be phrased as something that is not a crushing win.
I think he will offer to participate in the drafting and definition of . . . not “benchmarks”, but “goals”, and they will be goals he can waive in certain conditions that will be spelled out to provide him maximum latitude. There will be “deadlines”, but those deadlines will be dates by which he will have to report on progress towards the goals or “suffer the embarrassment of waiving them”.
It all will be fuzzy and non binding, but will have enough buzzphrases for the Dems to take to their lunatic fringe and show themselves tough.
The reality will be a victory. No troop pullout deadlines and no binding benchmarks on the Iraqis, but enough of Dem verbage for them to deceive at least some of the lunatics into thinking they are tough and strong.
They also MUST take out all that extra pork.
They also MUST take out all that extra pork.