The parameters of the September decision on Iraq are beginning to come into sharper focus. The posturing begins with quiet feelers from the White House for some kind of face-saver from the Congress:White House officials have not indicated how a compromise might look. Administration officials and some Democrats favor shifting U.S. forces to a support role: fighting insurgents, training Iraqi forces and providing other backup.
Many Democrats want such a shift in the next few months, but Bush has said Iraq must become more stable first. In a news conference last month, Bush said he "would like to see us in a different configuration at some point in time."
I really don't foresee the kind of improvement which would give Bush any leverage come September. Of course he may line up a few friendly generals to lie for him, but I think the facts will speak louder. I'm not at all hot on the idea of keeping possibly tens of thousands of troops there on a long term basis, so I hope the people who oppose this war will keep the pressure on the Democrats to insist on a complete withdrawal as fast as possible within the confines of the safety of American troops.
