Yoshi writes:
The White House would rather listen to King Abdullah, who is telling it what it is already thinking, than the Iraq Study Group or a majority of the American people who desire rapid withdrawal from Iraq....
Just one point: I think it is important to keep in mind that the ISG does NOT urge a rapid withdrawal from Iraq (if that is what Yoshie was saying). One the contrary, the ISG urges that only half the troops leave by 2008 and the rest stay indefinitely to achieve U.S. purposes in Iraq (those purposes are also somewhat redefined). No doubt many "moderate" Democrats and "moderate" Republicans will broadly back the Baker Plan and their seeming opposition to Bush will draw in some more liberal elements. Unless there is a strong mass pressure AGAINST a Baker Plan-like time line we will be left with a debate between that and whatever Bush proposes. The steps the ISG lays out mean 80,000 troops in Iraq in 2008 at which time a review and debate will then begin -- in that spirit one doesn't even have a chance for U.S. troops to be out before 2010 (with a new Administration taking office in 2009). Project the current Iraqi death rate forward and, by 2010, proportionally the Iraq War will be much worse than the Vietnam War. Maybe 4 times worse. In absolute numbers maybe as many people killed in Iraq as Vietnam. Paul
