Iraqi Surge Is Republican 2008 Election Strategy

Barry Lando has a very interesting angle on the Iraqi troop surge. The Bush Administration has often counted on the public's short memory. Remember when he announced the surge, the extra troops would be withdrawing in Sept 2007. The fact is that they knew all along that the increased numbers wouldn't be on the ground until June. And they knew that the Iraqis won't be in any shape to take on new responsibilities until well into 2008.
And now the real plan is emerging. The actual surge is now up to 28000 troops and they will be there until at least Feb 2008.
Worse yet, the Pentagon has no faith that the surge will be helpful. So why the surge? It's 2008 election strategy. Read on:
AlterNet

According to the New York Times , Lt. Gen Raymond Odierno, “the day-to-day commander of U.S. forces in Iraq has recommended that the heightened American troop levels there be maintained through February 2008.”


That’s if the “surge” is to have any chance of success: bring material benefits to the people of Baghdad, give them a sense of calm and security, put a damper on the civil war and allow Iraqi political leaders a chance to somehow patch thier country together.
Otherwise, the Times article makes clear, the consensus in the Pentagon is that the buildup will fail. Indeed, the surge to date is “little more than a trickle” and will only reach its goal of an additional 28,000 troops on the ground by June. Yet, under previously-announced plans, troops were supposed to be withdrawing from Iraq already by September 2007.


According to many experts, even maintaining troop levels through next February is far from enough. An unclassified version of the latest National Intelligence Estimate states that “the Iraqi Security Forces, particularly the Iraqi police, will be hard pressed in the next 12 to 18 months to execute significantly increased security responsibilities, and particularly to operate independently against Shia militias with success.”