Stop Me Before I Vote Again

William A. Galston of the Brookings Institution, a Clinton administration domestic policy adviser and an early opponent of the Iraq war said his party should note that voters appear just as worried that Democrats would withdraw from Iraq too quickly as they are concerned that Republicans would stay there too long.

Now what is this Galston guy up to here?

Against the war "early" -- but now he's waving the yellow caution flag 'cause "voters appear worried".

Best way to play the hole? Don't try cutting through the 2-to-1 favorable dogleg -- don't go with the massive center-left shift -- stay safe. Drive it down the middle of the fairway. Sure there's water to the right, but there's trees to the left. Too quick is just as bad as too long. Okay, so the trees aren't there now -- but they're growin' and they'll be there by September, before election time.

Now can this guy really have a job at the Big B and still be as stupid as this chitter implies? Wait, there's more:

I think it's important to distinguish between the desire to bring this agony to an end and the consequences of bringing it to an end in the wrong way.

I can't prove this but I believe Democrats will be held responsible if they are seen as advocating a course of action that doesn't take the consequences of failure into account.

...We cannot afford as a party to be either silent or blithe about the consequences of rapid withdrawal.

But Galston ain't wrong about the word 'afford'. The empire's overlords are watching. Donor money can suddenly gush, but it can just as suddenly dry up.

So beware, Obama; beware, thou blithe spirit. Don't you try drivin' over that dogleg. Don't you fuck with us while we figure out how we extract the empire from this bottomless sand hole Cheney got us into. Don't try riding a popular wave. Don't fall for that base of yours bellowing from below "Out now!" Out now!" -- not if you want the White House.