On Iraq Report, Left Insists on Having it Both Ways
Blog readers are today treated to a stunning display of hypocrisy among opponents of the Iraq war.
Blogs on the left have spent the last few months tearing David Petraeus down, and expressing concern that come September, President Bush and his senior advisers would leave the limelight to the General. The worry was that given his excellent reputation, his communication skills, and the respect he has earned among Blue Dog Democrats, Petraeus would come off as some latter-day Oliver North, and frustrate Congressional Democrats trying to demonstrate the failure in Iraq. With the skilled, telegenic, and sympathetic General Petraeus as the face of the war, Democrats would be unable to mobilize the American people and scare enough Republicans to force an end to the war.
Andrew Sullivan said that Petraeus is a partisan aligned with Cheney, who will deliver only spin. Glenn Greenwald said that his report ought not be trusted, since "he has a history of making almost uniformly optimistic claims about Iraq." The Huffington Post has characterized him as an incompetent partisan. Numerous columnists criticized Bush for building up Petraeus excessively. Frank Rich accused the White House of 'hiding behind' the General. And a Post columnist wrote about speculation that the White House was setting Petraeus up as a fall man.
Among elected officials, Speaker Pelosi has said that Petraeus is likely to produce a "rosy scenario" report, about which we should be skeptical. Harry Reid said said flatly that he would not believe Petraeus if he said that the situation in Iraq is improving.
With a report today that the White House has suggested that Secretaries Gates and Rice brief Congress on progress in Iraq, with General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker delivering only private briefings, the left has instantaneously completed a 180 degree turnabout.
Washington Monthly now anticipates a negative report, and suggests that the White House is trying to hide the two from the public. Crooks and Liars also fear that they are being shielded from public scrutiny. Another wonders whether they've been 'muzzled.' And this is all fresh on the heels of complaints that Petraeus and Crocker would have their findings reviewed and potentially edited by the White House, even though that is precisely what Congress ordered.
This is a perfect pivot in a matter of hours. Just yesterday the left was warning that Bush would hide behind Petraeus, rather than take responsibility for the war in Iraq. Today the same critics are apoplectic that Petraeus and Crocker won't be on CNN 24/7 to discuss their findings. If the White House bows to the criticism and sends Petraeus and Crocker to the Hill instead of Gates and Rice, how long will it take them to spin back?
Posted by Brian Faughnan at 12:34 PM |
