The Republican Plan For 2008 Begins Today - Thom Hartmann

[kpete]

The Republican Plan For 2008 Begins Today
Submitted by davidswanson on Thu, 2007-05-31 10:36. Elections
By Thom Hartmann

It's difficult to watch Democrats play checkers while Republicans play Chess with Iraq. It's particularly difficult on Memorial Day as more Americans and Iraqis die.

But the Republican Party has been playing politics with Iraq since the day after the Supreme Court installed George W. Bush in office in 2001, and they have no intention of stopping now. They may have borrowed some techniques from Richard Nixon, but they have no intention of repeating his mistakes.

The political calculus being pursued by Karl Rove and the Republican Party with regard to Iraq and the 2008 elections is a simple four-step process:

1. Shift "ownership" of the downside of the "war" and occupation of Iraq to the Democrats.

2. Begin to wind down American involvement in the occupation of Iraq no later than mid-2008.

3. "Claim victory and get out" of direct combat in Iraq by the early fall of 2008.

more at:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/23130
4. Win big in the 2008 elections by having "won" a "war."

[KurtNYC]

1. that first line reminds me of a DUer called "DemStrategist"

and he or she said that Kerry was "playing chess while we all wanted him to play checkers" (re: swiftboat BS) -- this was during 2004. Not an analogy that gets used a lot so kind of an interesting coincidence.

Anyway, I think Hartman is half right in the above. I think B*sh is laying the groundwork (by saying "bloody August") to blame the Dem's 3 month funding bill for the casualties. Since they own the MSM, it could well be framed that way.

2. They are never going to "wind down American involvement in Iraq". They may say they have a "secret plan to end the war" but they don't. And permanent occupation is not really such a secret.

it isn't chess or checkers -- it's a shell game.

[glitch]

2. Excellent post. "it isn't chess or checkers -- it's a shell game" nt

[Norquist Nemesis]

3. By golly! Today, there's an announcement of a possible cease-fire!

Hartmann's got it figured out. If only the Democratic political gamers would do the same!!