The truth about Bush's speech tonight

Let's make a few things clear about President Bush's 9 PM ET address to the nation.  He will announce the redeployment of 30,000 US troops by next summer, including 5,700 soldiers by the end of this year.  In a nutshell, between 130,000 and 135,000 troops will remain in Iraq until the end of his presidency.  That is not a course change.  It is yet another swindle that could cost another one thousand American soldiers their lives between now and January of 2009.

Also, what we are talking about here is not even a legitimate withdrawal.  The military is stretched to a breaking point, and the President does not have anymore troops to send.  So, he has one of two options:

• Reinstate the draft.  Thus Sparking a major youth protest movement in this country that would ensure the erosion of Republican Party support among the younger age demographic for an entire generation.
• Let the surge run out when no more troops are available, and then declare success.

In the end, especially with this White House, it all comes down to politics.  Therefore, Bush will choose the former, not the latter, and use a slight change in troop numbers to reinforce the phony notion that the mission was a success.

Lastly, John Edwards had the courage to buy two minutes of airtime on MSNBC during the first commercial break after Bush's speech.  It is courageous because we all know that Edwards, compared to Obama and Clinton, is having trouble competing in terms of money.  Yet, he is looking beyond potential primary voters, and is paying for airtime so that he can speak to the entire nation.  No, not just voters in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.  Not just to potential undecided progressive voters.  He will speak to everyone -- voters and non-voters alike.  When you make the mistake of voting for maybe the most disastrous war in US history, you had better try your absolute hardest to set it right and prove to taxpayers that you learned your lesson.  Since 2006, Edwards has done just that.

As for Bush, he will wait it out until January of 2009, and hand this mess to the next commander-in-chief.  Tonight, when John Edwards calls on Congress to end this war, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi had better be listening.