Republicans Cut And Run!

A week ago, on Sunday March 25th, Vice President Dick Cheney addressed a gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Manalapan, Florida.

As usual, Cheney’s rhetoric was harsh against Democrats on the heels of the House Iraq War funding bill that demands a pull-out from Iraq by September of 2008. Cheney said of the Democrats:

Twisted logic is not exactly a new phenomenon in Washington -- but last month it reached new heights…this may be the first time in history that a Congress voted to send a new commander into battle and then voted to oppose the plan he said was necessary to win that battle.

When members of Congress pursue an anti-war strategy that’s been called “slow bleed,” they’re not supporting the troops, they’re undermining them. And when members of Congress speak not of victory but of time limits, deadlines, or other arbitrary measures, they’re telling the enemy simply to run out the clock and wait us out…

If they really support the troops, then we should take them at their word and expect them to meet the needs of our military on time, in full, and with no strings attached…

The terrorists do not expect to be able to beat us in a stand-up fight…The only way they can win is if we lose our nerve and abandon the mission -- and the terrorists do believe that they can force that outcome…

A sudden withdrawal of our coalition would dissipate much of the effort that has gone into fighting the global war on terror, and result in chaos and mounting danger. And for the sake of our own security, we will not stand by and let it happen.

While this kind of talk is nothing new from Dick Cheney, what is new is that Senate Republicans are looking at the writing on the wall, and are shitting their pants.

Last Sunday on the Chris Matthews’ show, guest Andrew Mitchell spilled the beans on the Republican pants shitting, saying:

The Republicans were against the surge but they felt it was fait accompli, and that they were willing to give Petraeus until August. He told them there will be real progress by August. They have told him at a caucus meeting as very, very recently, that if there isn’t progress by August — and real progress means not a day of violence and a day of sanity — that they will pull the plug.

As Bob Fertik noted over on Democrats.com, this revelation is so stunning it needs to be broken down piece by piece.

1. Republican Senators met alone with Gen. Petraeus. Is it common for commanders to meet separately with a Congressional minority? Or is this just another example of the GOP putting raw partisan politics ahead of national security?

2. Republican Senators micromanaged Gen. Petraeus. Isn’t this one of the absolute unbreakable Republican rules, practically handed down to Moses with the Ten Commandments - that politicians should never micromanage commanders?

3. Republican Senators set a deadline for Iraq. How many times have Bushco shrieked that a deadline guarantees the humiliating defeat of our forces and the victory of terrorists? Why do Republican Senators hate America and love the terrorists?

4. What exactly do Republicans mean when they say “pull the plug”? The Supplemental Appropriations bills approved by Democrats in the House and Senate both call for phased withdrawals over the next 12-18 months. Would Senate Republicans support a Democratic plan, or would they offer a plan to leave Iraq even sooner?

5. Given this Republican betrayal, why did Bush repeatedly attack Democrats in his weekly radio address? Is he unaware his fellow Republicans are planning to "pull the plug" on Iraq?

That, of course, leads me to a question of my own. Does Vice President Dick Cheney know that his fellow Republicans in the Senate are willing to “let the terrorists win” just so that they can win re-election in 2008?