If anything, the competing proposals could strengthen Bush's hand. Though largely united in opposition to Bush's plan, members of Congress, carved up by the presidential ambitions of Clinton, Obama, Dodd, Biden and others, can't unite around an alternative.
And so it goes. Since the run-up to the second Gulf War, Bush has been able to win the argument due to a lack of a unified, serious opposition willing to offer plausible plans to deal with real threats.
With one exception: I actually think a plausible plan is Sen. Joe Biden's idea, to partition Iraq into a loose confederacy sharing oil revenue, but having three distinct regions for Kurds, Shi'ites and Sunni Iraqis, who largely control their own destinies within their areas.
The sectional hatred is too deep for a political fusion (other than one seared together by tyranny, as has mostly been the case in Iraq's history) to occur. Work with other powers in the region, like the Saudis and even the Syrians and Iranians if need be to broker this deal. The U.S. military ensures a peaceful transition and keeps Iraq's neighbors from mischief along the borders.
Meanwhile, return the focus to Afghanistan, where there may be a chance of securing what Bush initially claimed he wanted -- a stable Democratic society in the Middle East.
But, the Dems won't rally around Biden's plan, because they're too busy running for President. The eventual nominee will hopefully rally the party around a unified opposition Iraq policy. By spring 2008. Which means we're in for another year of Bush running Iraq as blindly as a Dick Cheney hunting party.
And so it goes.
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