A Summer of Death in Iraq

It appears Congress is leaning toward giving President Bush until September to prove his surge will work, but all they will accomplish is the creation of a summer of death in Iraq. It makes no difference how many troops the U.S. sends to die in the hellhole of what was once known as the Cradle of Civilization, the problems caused by the inane policies of the administration cannot and will not be solved by sacrificing more American lives.

Some Republicans have recently begun changing their tune, including Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon, who said, "Many of my Republican colleagues have been promised they will get a straight story on the surge by September.  I won't be the only Republican, or one of two Republicans, demanding a change in our disposition of troops in Iraq at that point. That is very clear to me."

Even one of Bush's biggest war-mongering hawks in the House, Minority Leader John A. Boehner, appears to be softening his hard-line stand, saying, "By the time we get to September, October, members are going to want to know how well this is working, and if it isn't, what's Plan B."

The problem with that strategy is that there never was a Plan A, let alone a Plan B. If  Plan B rally exists, bring it out now and let us see it. Give us some hope that there may be an end to this nightmare.