Going Out on a Weird Limb Here

First off, it was refreshing as all hell the other night to grab my car from my parking lot, shift into third gear, Quantic on KCRW, and with the window down let the cool Santa Monica night air flow into my face. In short - it felt nice to be back.

Everyone is getting on George Bush's case. It seems a fait accompli that can Barak Obama prove McCain votes with Bush and Palin is Bush in drag, that he will automatically win the election. Why?

I would like to defend Bush - for the sake of being contrary...

Per this Wall Street Journal article, we were months - perhaps even weeks - from a defeat in Iraq. By defeat, I mean, removing our troops and allowing a free for all battle between Iranian proxies, Al Queda, and former Baathists for control of the state - or at least partial control of certain regions in 2006. Many close to Bush, republicans, democrats, Obama, Hillary, Biden, the Iraq Study Group, and the Joint Chiefs were calling for this policy change. Instead, Bush reached out to Petraeus and per the article, retired General Keane to ask for a different approach. What resulted was the surge - a combination of strategic and tactical shifts in American military strategy toward the insurgency. What's resulted is a battlefield defeat to Al Queda and a major draw down of violence. Basically, if Bush took the popular mandate of the moment, we would of lost this war. As is, we've salvaged something - an Iraq with a central government with some positive hope for the future.

TBC