American Republic Online

An op-ed out now from two fellows of the liberal think tank Brookings Institution think we just might win the war in Iraq:

Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.

It’s an interesting piece.  They certainly didn’t fall all over themselves to praise Bush, but the review is positive.

However, please forgive my cynicism if I try and figure out what their angle is.  All we have heard from the Left is how terrible things are going, and how we have to get out yesterday.  Now, they are saying that staying through 2008 is worthwhile?  What gives?

Two thoughts come to mind.  First, the Left is realizing that they won’t be able to get out of Iraq until, at the earliest, Bush is out of office.  They can scream and debate all they want, but when it comes down to it, all Bush will say is, “You go tell the American people that you are going to cut funding to the troops.  See how well that goes over, and get back to me.”  He believes in what he is doing, and won’t be intimidated (for better or worse).  You can see that they already realize this as they have backed off Iraq.  True, they got their little skirmish in earlier, so they can go back to their constituents and say “We tried, but they wouldn’t listen to reason.”  Now, however, it’s all hearings all the time: Gonzalez, etc.  Your editor predicted as much in November.  It will probably only get worse, as “hearings” and “investigations” are all they really have left that can accomplish.  Unless Bush gets another SCOTUS nomination.  Further, they probably also know that immediate, or even rapid, withdrawal is not possible on a variety of grounds.  So, they are preparing for a Democrat president who would have to make “tough decisions” and realize that staying in Iraq is the sensible thing to do, or some other horse hockey.
Second, the media can’t really hide things any more.  The “underground media” continues to grow so much that no matter what the big media report, alternatives are readily available.  If things were starting to go really well in Iraq, how long could they withhold it?  And if stories continued to get out, how long before they lost more credibility?

There is a third possibility.  The media is starting to finally see that some good can come of Iraq, and they are starting to get behind it.  Again, forgive my skepticism and cynicism.
Or, they just want to stir the pot for juicier election coverage.   Who knows?  It will, however, be interesting to see if the trend continues.  Will there be positive news from Iraq?  Or will the thought of bettering Bush’s legacy leave too bad a taste in their mouth?