Democrats don’t want to cut off funds for the Iraq war,
but they don’t have the votes to stop it any other way.
Fear of Republican rhetoric has them lost in a fog.
Bush’s new request for money gives them another chance.
The House should pass it, contingent on delivery of a plan
to safely extricate our troops from a [...]

As a child I loved the glass boxes
where you could fish for toys.
I would put a nickel in the slot,
turn cranks to position the claw,
press the “grab” button, and watch
my red car fall back into the pile.
Then I’d beg for another nickel.
Like President Bush, striving to find
something to call “victory” in Iraq,
I would keep trying [...]

Rush to Failure and
Choose to Lose replace
Cut and Run.
A bumper sticker surge.

We can’t foresee political progress,
or define military victory ― so,
Bush has lost the Iraq war.
If Democrats said that often enough,
Bush’s vague, “we must finish the job,”
would soon sound as empty as it is.
If Congress mandated a return
to twelve month troop rotations,
in every defense appropriation,
and let any vetoes stand, they could
support the troops, and force Bush
out [...]

The surge is Bush’s answer
to the urge to purge the
failure in Iraq from his legacy.
He wants to delay acknowledging
his inability to meet any of the war’s
objectives until the next election.
That way, in his mind at least,
we’ll be winning when he leaves,
so it will be 44 that loses the war.
In this context it’s easy to see
how [...]