Desperate circumstances often lead to crazy thinking. I will illustrate with two recent examples.
#1: A group of Republicans feeling the Iraq heat thinks that they can talk Bush out of his absolutist stance on the war:
A diverse collection of House Republicans has formed an ad hoc group to negotiate with the White House on a compromise Iraq spending bill, Politico’s Ryan Grim reports. The group plans to hold talks with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, who has been working behind the scenes to cement opposition among Republicans to the spending bill that would require U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq at some point.
The group includes five Republicans, diverse in geography and ideology: Reps. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, Charles Boustany of Louisiana, Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, Mac Thornberry of Texas and Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland. Of the five, only Gilchrest broke with his party to support a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.
Now, Gilchrest says the group will encourage the White House to compromise on negotiations with Syria and Iran and on setting a date for withdrawal from Iraq. And the group has national security bona fides that will help it be taken seriously.
Rep. Gilchrist is more or less saying to the president, we’ve kept loyal to you for years. Sometimes it cost us dearly. Now maybe you can return the favor. Ha ha. Rep. Gilchrist should know that this president values loyalty above practically everything, sure, but his definition differs a bit from ours. To understand the kind of loyalty that an entitled old-money aristocrat like Bush expects from his allies, look up fealty.
Unless Rep. Gilchrist has a veto-busting coalition in his breast pocket he can save himself a trip.
Example #2: Rep. Phil Gingrey has another strategy.
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, told “Hardball” fill-in host David Gregory that if the ‘surge’ has not yielded success in Iraq by August 2008, then “this president, and the Republican majority from the last Congress, we do have a ‘Plan B,’ but we’re not going to give it to the enemy.”
Gregory did not push him to shed light on the back up plan, but Gingrey conceded that “adjustments” would need to be made if victory had not be achieved in Iraq by August 2008.
Yes, a secret plan. Maybe Gingrey has some secret infantry divisions under his House desk. A written treaty with Ahmedinejad, Muqtada al-Sadr and whoever is runninng the Sunnis this week that takes effect as soon as Republicans regain Congress?* The possibilities are endless, or they would be if we lived on a happy planet where our options didn’t boil down to either leaving now, or spending some more blood and treasure, wrecking our army and then leaving. I’m sure that in Jan. 2009 Speaker Gingrey won’t admit, yeah my plan looks a lot like Pelosi’s plan, except I get credit for it. Suckers.
This is a thoroughly non-inclusive list. If you know any other examples of Iraqageddon inspiring millenialist thinking in Republicans, have at in the comments.
(*) Also included: Kurdish independence resolved without inflaming Turkey, Kirkuk ethnicity settled and the domestic terrorist groups retrained as call center workers for Geico.
Jill
What’s with the secret plan? That cracks me up.
Pb
Hey Gilchrist,
how’d that Iraq Study Group thing work out for ya?
And…
This is called the Conrad Burns defense–and it’s a loser.
John McCain. ’nuff said.
Joel
President Bush once said that he would stay the course in Iraq “even if the only people with me are Laura and Barney.” I assumed at the time that he was being hyperbolic, but it now appears that he was dead serious. He is now losing his own party, but still showing no sign of wavering.
If that trait came with more sense it might be admirable . . . .
Jay C
Hey, why not? It worked for Nixon – twice!
chopper
“i have a plan so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel”
Punchy
Why don’t we play the game of “Guess What the Fuck Gins has Ginned Up”
I say this clandestine operation involves taking all the sand out of Iraq and putting it in Alaska, so that the terrorists will be quite inclined to move to Alaska (terrorists hate soil), and unaccustomed to the terrian, will be eaten by polar bears.
No more terrorists, and polar bears dont need fish until 2009.
Zifnab
If there’s one thing Republicans have been staunch about, its not seeing Plan B fall into the hands of the wrong people. I went down to my pharmacist to get a Plan B, and she said, “No. It’s unethical and wrong.” I had no idea she was talking about politics.
Of course, a secret Plan B worked a bit better for Nixon because Nixon hadn’t fucked up Vietnam to begin with. Thus he could ethically administer Plan B without the moral connundrum of being the cause.
Tsulagi
Are you kidding? He’d kiss off Laura and Barney in a heartbeat. This is a spoiled brat in his sandbox with a toy: Iraq. He doesn’t want anybody messing with it, let alone taking it away from him.
Until he can hand it to the next guy, then say he broke it.
Andrei
Funny how screams and wails are shouted at those Democrats who would give the enemy an announced deadline for withdrawl, but that it’s perfectly a-okay to give the enemy a deadline where the “plan changes” in August of 2008.
Rome Again
Good point Andrei – two points!
Jackmormon
Is that a veto-busting coalition in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
Bubblegum Tate
* rimshot *
stickler
Nixon hadn’t fucked up Vietnam? How about “escalation” and “Vietnamization” and quietly negotiating for a “decent interval” between our departure and the collapse of the South?
Here’s Herblock’s view on the “secret plan” — a cartoon titled “Now, as I was saying four years ago…”
One thin pleasure out of this Mesopotamian cockup is watching hapless military and Administration spokesmen assure us of impending success. You can just see the wheels spinning furiously in their heads as they try to tell us that things are looking up … without repeating those howlers from 1967, like “turning the corner,” or “light at the end of the tunnel.” Vietnam: the gift that keeps on giving.
Richard 23
The Black Dagger.
Temple Stark
David Gregory as fill-in host!!! That’s wrong, he still has a reputation. How long has this been going on? I rarely watch Hardball.
Temple Stark
Oh, and any Black Adder quotes enhances a thread …
Well, sir I have … a cunning plan.
Baldrick, I’ve always been meaning to ask, do you have any ambitions in life apart from the acquisition of turnips?
Er, no.
So what would you do if I gave you a thousand pounds?
I’d get a little turnip of my own.
So what would you do if I gave you a million pounds?
Oh, that’s different. I’d get a great big turnip in the country.
tBone
It’s simple, but probably too much for your BDS-afflicted leftard minds to grasp. I’ll try anyway:
Filthy moonbat scum announcing their cut-n-run surrender date – bad.
Brave patriotic Americans announcing the date when the double-super-secret plan for victory will be unveiled – good.
I hope this information helps
grumpy realist
I see someone else beat me to the “I have a cunning plan….”
Have to say that no matter what, the Brits can do sardonic like no one else.
Otto Man
Time to institute mandatory drug testing in Congress.
Perry Como
But I have a punning clan.