Thinking twice

The issues that Rep. Murtha raised, and what Joe Klein doesn't seem to get, is that the choice is not between beginning the process of standing down in Iraq or beginning the process of winning. The choice is between having an exit strategy or continued stumbling in the dark that is Donald Rumsfeld's planning. The choice is between acquiescing to the wishes of Iraqis and leaving or listening to more of Bush's bellicosity. Rhetoric is not a plan, is what Murtha was trying to say.

Klein is misrepresenting what Murtha and others calling for an exit strategy are saying. The idea is not to leave under cover of night, leaving only a few unopened MRE as evidence of our presence in Iraq, but for the Bush administration to show some sign that they know where this is going, not just photo-ops.