Democrats Discredit Petraeus Report Before It Is Delivered

As predicted, the Democrats have already branded General Petraeus' upcoming progress report (due to be given in mid-September) as meaning little or nothing. "We must remember that the purpose of the surge was to create a secure environment in which political change could occur. Whether or not some limited military success has occurred, it is clear that the Iraqi leaders have failed to make political progress," [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi said.

This is not a surprise - the Democrats in power have positioned themselves in such a way that they simply cannot allow a military victory in Iraq, or they will suffer political devastation. Since the military victory in Iraq is unmistakable, they are now re-writing the rules on what they consider 'success', still allowing them to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I would also point out again that they're playing both ends of the spectrum, predicting failure while still saying that even if the Democrats took the White House in 2008, our troops would remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future. By contrast, President Bush says, "When we start drawing down our forces in Iraq, it will be because our military commanders say the conditions on the ground are right, not because pollsters say it will be good politics." Partisan politics should never trump doing the right thing, especially when the lives of our brave troops (and, indirectly, American citizens) are at stake. Who should determine the course of the war: the commanders on the ground in the battle zone, or pompous, arrogant legislators in Washington?

Let's wait and see what the report contains. If it's bad, we need to figure out how to fix it; if it's good, we need to acknowledge the progress, and plot our course forward. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the only way the U.S. will be defeated in this war is if Washington legislates it.

There's my two cents.