Playing "Whack-A-Mole" In Iraq

It's been busy here in Cherry Grove this weekend, but I did get a chance to watch a couple of the political shows on TV this morning. There was lots of talk about a Pentagon report that says that the "Surge" has not lowered the overall level of violence in Iraq, it has only tamped it down in the area where the additional troops have been sent. This prompted Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet The Press" to ask the US ambassador to Iraq if we were in effect, playing "whack-a-mole" in Iraq, since when we hit one pocket of violence, another pocket springs up somewhere else. The ambassador, a smooth talker that Bush is lucky to have, admitted that this was happening, but went on to say that the situations is not all negative, or some such. All the analysts I listened to seemed to feel as though September is make or break for the "Surge" policy. We've heard this sort of thing before. Bush seems determined to prolong the war until he leaves office. I think that no matter what General Patreous says in September, Bush will stubbornly "stay the course." I hope I'm wrong, but how can the congress stop him short of cutting off funds for the war, which would be difficult to pass?


Photo: a perennial, like a Hibiscus, that is trying this year to come back in the garden. Last year it also tried but the bugs got it. I hope it makes it this year.

Jim