Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Morris Argues for Iraq Pullout

Morris is a political strategist and not a military man, so take his opinion for what it's worth. But whether you are for or against the surge, or for or against the mission overall, he makes one point that is tough to argue: that a drawdown may be politically necessary in order to preserve the option for military action in Iraq down the road.

...The lesson of Vietnam is clear: If the public get so turned off on a military intervention, it will force Congress to ban any further involvement, making it inevitable that our enemies win. But if the administration salvages a modicum of public support by way of a prompt but gradual withdrawal, it will preserve the option of re-entry by air or land should an adverse situation arise. We probably could have stopped the North from winning in Vietnam had Congress not banned any air or ground involvement after 1974. We must not fall into the same trap in Iraq...

But Bush faces a stark choice: If he doesn’t begin pulling out, his party will lose the White House, lose Congress by stunning and likely filibuster-proof margins, and his tax cut and education reforms will be repealed. His footsteps will be obliterated from history. It will be as if he never served.

And yeah, I'd say his rhetoric is a little over the top.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dick Morris who wrote a book about the coming elections being Hillary vs Condi?

Excuse me if I am less than confident about his predictions ;)