Petraeus Advisor Rejects Domenici-Backed Iraq Plan

Think Progress reports:

Stephen Biddle, a senior defense policy analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, cautions against adopting “a politically moderate ‘Plan B’ that would split the difference between surge and withdrawal.” Biddle, an adviser to Gen. Petraeus who has cautioned that escalation is “likelier to fail than succeed,” says the Iraq debate should put aside “popular centrist options” embodied in the Iraq Study Group recommendations.

Biddle writes that the ISG’s call to “shift the mission” of U.S. troops while maintaining an occupation of Iraq would cause even greater problems. “Without a major U.S. combat effort to keep the violence down, the American training effort would face challenges even bigger than those our troops are confronting today. ... It is unrealistic to expect that we can pull back to some safe yet productive mission of training but not fighting — this would be neither safe nor productive.” he writes. ... middle-ground options leave us with the worst of both worlds: continuing casualties but even less chance of stability in exchange.

Repub Senate leaders still insist they will filibuster even the flawed and toothless Iraq Study Group legislation sponsored by Salazar-Alexander that's backed by Sen. Pete Domenici, along with anything meaningful that the Dems propose. Their strategy is to delay passage of anything that addresses the realities of the quagmire occupation until that magic day in September when Gen. Patraeus is supposed to deliver his report on the success of the "surge." Southern New Mexico's Repub Rep. Steve Pearce has rejected Domenici's stance and is sticking with Bush 100%, as usual.

Democrats are expected to rally around a Levin-Reed sponsored amendment to the massive defense spending bill that sets a withdrawal date to begin 120 days after passage and end by April 30, 2008. Sen. Jeff Bingaman supports the bill, saying that "Salazar's plan lacks specific requirements for troop withdrawal."

Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly that House Dems will proceed with a bill that will set withdrawal timelines in the hopes of encouraging Senators to pass similar legislation:

The House bill (HR 2956), sponsored by Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., would require troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq within 120 days of enactment of the legislation. All troops would have to be redeployed from Iraq by April 1, 2008, with minor exceptions.

It's expected that Dem Rep. Tom Udal of Northern New Mexico will support Skelton's bill.

Yesterday, Bush said he would veto any defense spending bill that contained requirements for a withdrawal by “an arbitrary date.” I guess his arbitrary war full of arbitrary deaths doesn't bother him any. Close-minded zealots are like that.