For months September has been cast as a pivotal time for determining the course of the war in Iraq, yet a top general now says a solid judgment on the U.S. troop buildup there may not come until November.
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told he would need beyond September to tell if improvements in Iraq represent long-term trends."In order to do a good assessment I need at least until November," said Odierno, a deputy to Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. military commander in Iraq.
Is anyone in the media or in the Republican party going to hold Bush responsible for this? (The Dems already are and have enough votes to push legislation through the House, but not the Senate. If Senate Republicans continue to obstruct the will of the people and the right thing to do to protect Bush, the only thing they will accomplish is their own self-destruction)
The answer to this rhetorical question is obviously not. Previous hard deadlines will be tossed aside like simple decency in Guantanamo. The media will continue to perpetuate these lies it started and aided because to do otherwise would be tantamount to admitting its own role in this fiasco. Thomas Friedman will continue to praise the administration and encourage that we give them more time to get it right. Lindsey Graham will tell us to leave the war to the generals - that do Bush's bidding - and Joe Lieberman will tell us that criticizing the President is equivalent to supporting the enemy (whoever that may be, but it is a bad, bad, evil enemy).
