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Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit Strategy

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 02:37:29 PM EST
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Writing in Huffington Post today, former Senator Gary Hart predicts Bush will announce an exit strategy from Iraq in October -- in time for the November elections.

Since, with precious few exceptions, political careers trump principle, and since the cabal of neoconservatives and the religious right intend to govern forever, the genius Karl Rove will concoct a patently phony Iraq exit strategy.

Sounds right to me.

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    Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit Strategy | 10 comments (10 topical)
    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 03:04:52 PM EST
    Will this be similar to the infamous "Secret plan to end the war" that spiked Nixon's landslide in 72? It's too late to try the "cut and run" strategy that the Great Prevaricator used after 240 marines were killed by suicide bomber in Lebanon. Of course, GW couldn't reveal any details without "undermining our troops" or "emboldening the enemy" so we just have to trust a president who kept roughly no campaign promises of any significance.

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 03:30:17 PM EST
    Gary Hart should have dared Bush announce a strategy. When Gary Hart dares someone to do something, it usually happens! And leave it to Gary Hart to suggest a little offical Monkey Business is in the works...

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#3)
    by Aaron on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 04:00:34 PM EST
    Is this for real? If so, I'm ambivalent. I'm not ready to support an immediate withdrawal that leaves Iraq to flounder in a civil war of our making, and which will lead to deaths of tens of thousands in the chaos that will surely ensue. Nor will I support a plan that leaves a devastated Iraqi infrastructure and a political unstable country to the tender mercies of the Iranians. But an announcement that we plan to leave at some point is perhaps a step in the right direction and will possibly lead to needed changes in Iraq as withdrawal approaches. Somehow I imagine it's nothing more than a political gimmick to get people in the red states to feel good about voting Republican again in November. Sounds like a desperate move, by a desperately frightened GOP petrified of losing their lock on power. Doubtless the American people will fall for it, we seem to be addicted to screwing ourselves in this century.

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#4)
    by profmarcus on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 04:42:31 PM EST
    one of the comments to hart's huffpo post... "As for Rove being a 'genius', I beg to differ. Rove is just so BASE that he can think lower, dirtier and more Machavalianlianly than anybody else can conceive of and has no scruples in holding back the most horrible crime on individuals or society." i beg to differ with the gentleman's differing... rove most certainly IS a genius AND all of the other stuff... rove is not omnipotent and he is certainly NOT infallible... however, he is malign, brilliant, and extremely dangerous... bush has ridden the tiger with rove for over 30 years... rove is bush's rasputin... bush has sold his soul to the devil and the devil's name is karl rove... And, yes, I DO take it personally

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#5)
    by Steven Sanderson on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 04:54:21 PM EST
    Since, with precious few exceptions, political careers trump principle, and since the cabal of neoconservatives and the religious right intend to govern forever, the genius Karl Rove will concoct a patently phony Iraq exit strategy.
    It's also likely that we'll find ourselves willingly dragged into a war with Iran and Syria before November, which will bring hordes of crackpots from the right to the polls and they won't be dovish voters.

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#6)
    by orionATL on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 05:52:27 PM EST
    i have even less info available to me than does gary hart, but i have written a year ago that bush would bring the troops home for the benefit of his political power. after all, bush sent these folks to iraq to increase his political power. why would he not bring them back - for the same self-serving purpose? of course, there cannot be a complete withdrawal; that would be militarily catastrophic for iraqi society. or could there be? to understand george bush's decision making, it is only necessary to recall what pres bush said to john McCain after rove and other bush operatives had trashed McCain's family (a south-asian adopted child of mccain and his wife was rumored as black) in south carolina in 2000. "john, it's just politics". no words bush ever spoke reveal more about how this president has made decisions or how he will make decisions in the futrure. or better explains the "moral" underpinnings of bush's presidential decisions. this is george bush's "morality" -, in politics you do not have to behave in any but a power-preserving, self-serving manner. to bush, politics is the sort of "game" in which whatever you do to win is o.k. because it is just a game. winning or losing is the central concern.

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 06:25:13 PM EST
    I have been expecting this all along. I have been urging Democrats to adopt the "We won. We removed Saddam from power, made sure there were no WMDs and installed a democratic government so declare victory and welcome the troops home." campaign for months.

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 07:52:41 PM EST
    Well, GWB has already proclaimed "victory" in Iraq, what, three times now? Four? Seven? Who can count? Why bother? And why not one more "victory" before November?

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#9)
    by john horse on Sun Aug 06, 2006 at 05:46:40 AM EST
    Aaron, Like you I have ambivalent feelings on this rumor. If we do withdraw for partisan political purposes, it would be the case of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. I would find it hard to believe that we are achieving victory in Iraq given: that violence in Iraq has increased; that we now have a civil war goin on; the Pentagon has been forced to increase troop levels in Iraq. However, the Bush adminstration has proven in the past that they can get the American people to believe almost anything, despite the evidence to the contrary. Isn't this how we got into this mess?

    Re: Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit (none / 0) (#10)
    by Che's Lounge on Sun Aug 06, 2006 at 01:40:10 PM EST
    Easter Lemming, Spot on. Too bad the Dems refuse to embrace this plan and beat the Repugs to the punch (thanks to Joe and Hilary). They will shoot themselves in the foot one more time and the rightards will keep running the show. The pending declaration of victory is only a ruse, however, to get them through the elections.

    Gary Hart Predicts Bush to Announce Iraq Exit Strategy | 10 comments (10 topical)