Congress Must Preemptively Vote to Redeploy from Iraq BEFORE Bush Orders "Surge"

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

In a few days, George W. Bush is expected to announce his plans to boost troop levels in Iraq. Leading congressional Democrats have already signaled their disapproval of such a decision and have suggested a struggle, but by the time Bush gives his speech it may already be to late.

Once the increase is ordered, cutting funding will be blasted by Republicans as "not supporting the troops" and will thus be far less politically tenable than it would be today. Halting the "surge" may still be possible after Bush's announcement, but not without most moderates and many Republicans on board.

The best way to get out of Iraq might be the very way we got in: a preemptive strike. If today Congress declares - or better yet votes - that they will allow only enough money to pull out our combat forces as soon as possible, Bush will be dead in the water. Then it will be Bush's burden to argue why he needs more money rather than Congress' burden to explain why they won't appropriate the funds the Commander-in-Chief is asking for.

"As a practical matter, there's no way to say, 'Mr. President, stop,'" said Senate Foreign Relations Chairman and presidential hopeful Joe Biden this weekend. "You can't go in and, like a tinker toy, and play around and say, 'You can't spend the money on this piece and this piece.'" Unfortunately, he is basically right. The White House and Pentagon have shown over the last few years that they will take funding from anywhere they can to fuel their war on their own.

That's why it's up to the new Democratic Congress to pull the plug, and pull it now.

As bad as the planned "surge" may be, the worst thing we can do would be to allow a compromised increase with fewer troops over less time than Bush is expected to announce. Don't take our word for it; that's the opinion of the very Neocons developing the new strategy for Bush over at the American Enterprise Institute. According to them, any boost less than 30,000 troops lasting 18 months will "play into the enemies hands" and actually result in increased violence.

Of course, the Neocons admit their own plan will also cause increased death and violence for both Americans and Iraqis. Given those dismal options, it is vital that America stops Bush from making things even worse than he already has and gets out of Iraq now. The best way to do that is to make the first move and give Bush a taste of his own preemptive medicine by deciding to redeploy now.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

Technorati Tags: Analysis