How Can We Lose If You Insist on Winning?
Jules Crittenden
Wait a minute. He’s getting wacked for moving forward at all, and told its do or die this time. Congress is falling over itself trying to figure out to surrender. Now, he’s getting wacked with claims he has no backup plan.
Never mind that the current plan seems to be working quite well. I would like to take this article as a positive sign, that the Washington Post is trying to tell the Surrender Enthusiasts its time to get on board and demand success in Iraq. Once you’ve got your surge on, what’s next? You can’t just … leave.
However, all that this frankly idiotic “when did you stop beating your wife” article does is warm over all the handwringing and examine the problems posed by any exit plan that does not include victory. It fails to note, as mentioned above, that the current plan is working and the real problem is planning for maintenance beyond the surge. I would expect better of Ricks but he’s got a lot invested in the notion of Bush administration failure.
The true tone of this article is set by the closing gotcha exchange between Condoleezza Rice and John Kerry: ... [Read on.]
Mum On Plan B
Ed Morrissey
The Pentagon has not discussed an alternate strategy for Iraq if the surge does not produce the desired results, the Washington Post reports. Peter Pace, Joint Chiefs chairman, parries such questions with the response that "Marines don't talk about failure," and that "Plan B is to make Plan A work":
In the weeks since Bush announced the new plan for Iraq -- including an increase of 21,500 U.S. combat troops, additional reconstruction assistance and stepped-up pressure on the Iraqi government -- senior officials have rebuffed questions about other options in the event of failure. Eager to appear resolute and reluctant to provide fodder for skeptics, they have responded with a mix of optimism and evasion.
Even if the administration is not talking about Plan B, the subject is on a lot of minds inside and outside the government. "I would be irresponsible if I weren't thinking about what the alternatives might be," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged last month to Congress, where many favor gradual or immediate withdrawal. ...
The Pentagon warplans and games strategies and scenarios on a constant basis. They have a number of options on the table; that much was true when Bush decided on the surge. Staff officers and the White House will have them prioritized and ready for implementation when needed.
But that's not really the point of this article. Anyone who understands military operations would know that a multiplicity of alternatives have already been discussed, formulated, and selected. This article is of a piece with the meme of the last couple of years: that Bush could not admit mistakes. It's a transparent catch-22. If the Bush administration refuses to discuss the alternatives, then the media can say they have no fallback plans. If they start discussing the alternatives, their political opponents can use them to insist on transitioning to the fallbacks immediately. ...
