Surge and Splurge

"The surge is working," sayeth John McCain't at every turning of the campaign trail, and that's the reason "we" can even talk now about troop withdrawals and timelines, which I, John the Bold, oppose. McCain goes on to imply that the Obama is a coward and traitor and sellout for opposing "surge and splurge," our road map to victory, compliments of the brilliant David Petraeus. 'He doesn't understand what's at stake here," sayeth McCain't. He's being 'political,' as if the bloody fiasco in Iraq were ever anything but political. It's last in his class McCain't who, like George Bush, can't wrap his mind around realilty, who's playing politics of the basest sort here--that is, personal, racist politics. He speech is full of words intended to prove that the Obama is not one of us and never will be.

The mainstream media fall right along in stride, seizing an opportunity to bring down the Obama. That's the only explanation for the same kind of lemming think that led most of the mainstream media to tag along on the war in the first place, the kind of uncritical thinking that accepts a lie as real simply because it comes from the seat of power and vaguely matches the observed (as opposed to observable) facts. James Rainey reports in the Los Angeles Times on a study out of the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, showing that network news journalists might have devoted more minutes to the Obama, but they were far more negative than the minutes devoted to McCain't.

He appears adled, McCain't does, dazed and confused, unable to do anything but continue the negative, personal, racist campaign of his pal the Hills.. It would be intriguing were the HIlls to switch parties and run as V.P. with McCain--it's her most direct route, given his age and aura of bad health, despite his doctors, to the White House--and Chuck Hagel, stepping down Nevada Republican war hero and stout foe of the Iraq war crime--were to cross over and run with the Obama. There's a ticket.

Meanwhile, probably the best thing the Obama can do at this point in the campaign is ignore John McCain't. To engage him is to dive into his cesspool of insanity and rage and pain, to get sucked into the void that underlies his blind ambition.

And here is more or less where things stand. No firm evidence has beeen presented that "surge and splurge" has succeeded. At their joint Congressional testimony in the spring Petraeus and Crocker requested more time. Indeed, most evidence points to the surge as, at best, a pyrrhic victory. On July 23, former Iraqi Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi, testified in the House of Representatives, that the 'surge' had been moderately successful short term militarily in damping down violence, but politically, it was a failure. Others have said much the same--that Baghdad is quieter in large measure because the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al Sadr has abided by a cease fire it declared, even while the Maliki government has repeatedly violated it to attack Sadrites, their implacable foes. Baghdad is also quieter now because increased American presence in the capital provided a cover for expulsion of Sunnis from their own and mixed neighborhoods. American commanders seem to recognize that the situation could blow again at any time and probaby will once they leave.

Provisional elections scheduled for October and long considered a serious threat to Maliki's rule are likely to be postponed until the new year in part because of the continued drive by the Kurds to annex and ethnically cleanse Kirkuk, a major oil producing center, and Maliki's fear of Sadr's popularity. Iraqi security forces are widely perceived as corrupt partisans, Shiite militias. primarily the Badr Brigade--Badr and Sadr are enemies--in national uniforms. In effect, the Bushies, including Patraeus and McCain' have, in supporting the Maliki government, chosen to make common cause with Iran--that's right, the same country they keep threatening to attack next. Who lacks judgment here?

But then, McCain't tell Iran from Iraq from Afghanistan. Still, let's give McCain't what the Obama gets--the opportunity to justify his existence, to explain his religion, to prove his partrioitism, his courage, his devotion, and finally and forever to convince us that he is not a Communist mole put in place all those years ago to destroy Amerika. That would even the coverage out a good bit.