Exploiting the Battlefields
Bill Kristol was right on the money when he told a Fox News Channel interviewer that the President should use the positive momentum from the Iraq vote to crush the terrorists.
Kristol, executive editor at The Weekly Standard, told Fox News that President Bush should trumpet the success of free elections in Iraq, but warned against complacency and inaction in the aftermath of the vote. “The mistake we made after Jan. 30, the initial round of voting in Iraq, was that we relaxed a bit,” Kristol said. “We didn’t put political pressure on the Iraqis to pull their republic together. We didn’t put pressure on internationally to help the new Iraqi government.”
He added:
Bush and the U.S. military should receive credit for the remarkable turnout at the polling places in Iraq, but he is not holding his breath until he sees the president credited for that success by “mainstream media” outlets. “Bush is getting credit by media for admitting errors in Iraq, not for his successes,” Kristol said. “He has to be aggressive in continuing to make the case for war. The president must make the case for what is at stake in Iraq.”
I do wish Kristol and others would stop calling CBS, the NY Times and the Washington Post “mainstream” because they couldn’t find the mainstream of American politics with a GPS and personal guide. I’ll offer this morning’s NY Times article about how the President “secretly approved” of wiretaps without anyone knowing about them.
As to the main points of not getting complacent like the administration got after January’s vote is well-grounded and it’s time that the President not be bashful in trumpeting their successes instead of being so modest about it.
I’ve maintained that the only reason why John Murtha’s outlandish (and foolhardy) proposal to “immediately redeploy” our troops is because the administration was silent far too long. Each week, the President should make several ’soundbite statements’ about all the good his administration is having.
I’d particularly highlight Condi talking about the successes that we’re having overseas because (a) she’s got rock star type approval ratings and (b) she’s the best person to tout the foreign policy successes we’re having throughout the Middle East. I’d find a way to get someone with instant credibility talking about the Administration’s success in building a great and flexible economy that’s been going gangbusters. Personally, I’d pick Ben Stein for Treasury Secretary. He’s articulate, friendly, knowledgeable and would be a great trumpeting the administration’s economic policies.
“Keep the focus on victory and take advantage of the momentum in the elections to crush the terrorists. Bush should stay on the offensive, not get back on his heels and talk about troop withdrawal. This is an historic moment.”
Exactly right. Keep the delusional Democrats on their heels. Think of this like Schwarzkopf saw the battlefield during the “100 Hour” ground war to finish off Saddam. Schwarzkopf said that the Iraqis were so ripe for the pickings that they accelerated the ground campaign to “exploit the battlefield” and keep the Iraqi troops reeling.
I hope that President Bush does that with the unserious Democrats who, not only don’t talk about winning, but who won’t even engage in fighting the GWOT.
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRing