The First Time As Tragedy…

The Army Times reports:

The Center for American Progress proposed Wednesday to have a diplomatic rather than military surge in Iraq, and urged the new Democrat-controlled Congress to demand another vote authorizing military operations in Iraq if the number of U.S. troops will exceeds 150,000.

Hmmmm.... What would a vote to reauthorize the invasion and occupation of Iraq mean, concretely? Will the Democrats take back their previous votes in favor? Well, not exactly. Lawrence Korb, a Reagan era defense official, who worked on the Center's proposal, suggests a cap on troops to be mobilized from the reserves. Here is the perfect set-up for the promulgation of a myth that we could have "won" if only our hands hadn't been tied by meddling politicians. Korb's idea lock sus into the conflict, hands a powerful rhetorical weapon to the War Party -- and only underscores the impracticality of any "exit strategy" short of exiting forthwith and completely.