1964….Andrew Sullivan is worried about George Bush’s continuing denial about how badly things are going in Iraq:
We have to flush out at least Fallujah and Ramadi soon ? or lose the ability to hold national elections in January (if we haven’t already). And the mayhem that maneuver will unleash is not one we can easily stabilize without more troops and resources or a miracle in the capabilities of the Iraqi police and military. Before too long, a draft may become a very big topic on Capitol Hill. Big increases in military spending ? over and above what we are already planning ? will become necessary. What I worry about is a country that re-elects a president on the basis of denial about Iraq, and then turns on him with a vengeance when things get far worse.
A president unwilling to come to terms with reality. Re-election based on lies about future escalation. After the election an incident that forces the callup of more reserves and possibly a general draft. A massive backlash.
I can’t be the only one who thinks this is starting to sound an awful lot like 1964, can I?
