That Thing You Just Felt Was a Seismic Shift

A Democrat with a plan:

I said over a year ago, and now the military and the Administration agrees, Iraq can not be won “militarily.”  I said two years ago, the key to progress in Iraq is to Iraqitize, Internationalize and Energize.  I believe the same today.  But I have concluded that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is impeding this progress.

Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency.  They are united against U.S. forces and we have become a catalyst for violence.  U.S. troops are the common enemy of the Sunnis, Saddamists and foreign jihadists.  I believe with a U.S. troop redeployment, the Iraqi security forces will be incentivized to take control.   A poll recently conducted shows that over 80% of Iraqis are strongly opposed to the presence of coalition troops, and about 45% of the Iraqi population believe attacks against American troops are justified.  I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis.   I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy.  All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free.  Free from United States occupation.  I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process for the good of a “free” Iraq. 

My plan calls: 

• To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces. 
• To create a quick reaction force in the region.
• To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines. 
• To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq

This war needs to be personalized.  As I said before I have visited with the severely wounded of this war.  They are suffering.

Comments

[sylamore]

My friend Ken called Murtha's speech "the thin edge of the wedge." And I think he's right. We needed a Democrat to talk straight and say what most of America is thinking. We the public ARE ahead of Washington on this. Once the mainstream Dems and moderate Rethugs get some cojones, Bush is toast. It's like they're standing around a fallen tiger, not sure it's dead, afraid to poke it, afraid it might awake and kill them. Murtha had the stones to say, "Fuck that tiger. It's dead." And it is.

[Roxanne]

Yeah, but McClellan just issued a statement trying to link Murtha with Michael Moore. Oldest fucking propaganda trick in the book.

[sylamore]

Rox, I really believe the days of that crap being effective are over. BushCo has jumped the shark. McClellan is toast also. I just can't see these guys coming back from 30 percent approval ratings, especially since their strategy seems to be to Stay the Course -- in everything! They've wrapped themselves too deeply in their cocoon and they don't realize how fucked they are. Do I sound insanely optimistic all of a sudden??? Must be that second glass of pinot. 'night.

[Roxanne]

It may be wishful thinking on your part. Stay tuned for the Swiftboating of Murtha --which is already getting legs on Fox and in the Parrotsphere.

[slickdpdx]

I have no idea what you are talking about with Michael Moore, but this whole Murtha media blitz is smelly. Its not a meaningfully new position for him and we've been fed this line before. You can agree with him, but pretending like it is a seismic shift is wishful thinking at best.