"With the possible exception of Pelosi and a few others, the Democratic Party has decided that Iraq isn't any fun for them any more. The surge issue thoroughly beclowned them, and they really don't want people thinking about things like that in an election year. So, how's that recession coming?"

First off, I would say the media is more responsible for how much 'play' the Iraq issue has- especially in the face of economic crisis and a national election.

Secondly, your smug pronouncement of who has been 'beclowned' by developments in Iraq is precious to say the least. Roses at our feet, an invasion that would pay for itself, a nuke program that was 6 months away form the dreaded mushroom cloud, Al-Qaeda ties, WMD just out side of Tikriti, Mission Accomplished, Dead-Enders, Turned the Corner.... etc.

If anything the failure of the surge to accomplish its stated aims is no big story. Everything else has been a calamity of error- this is no different. We are still in Iraq in larger numbers, there still is ongoing ethnic cleansing, there is still no central government that is responsive to the needs of the Sunni and Kurds, there is still gravitation towards Iran, there is still economic stagnation... Etc Etc.

so I would be careful about how you use that 'Beclowned' phrase. If anything you and the other 'Chicken Quibbles' who insist everything is just peachy-rific, the best of any possible world, etc, are looking like rodeo clowns, trying to distract the Bull of public opinion away from the clueless cowboy sitting on his ass in the middle of the arena.

"Even Obama is just playing to the rubes on this subject. You really think he's going to bail out under the current circumstances?"

What do you have stuffed in your ears? All the Bullshit you have been flinging around on this for 4+ years? I told you that I do not support withdraw. I told you that we are stuck there for at least a decade, if not two. I told you that if we leave, Iraq descends into horrific civil war and genocide. However, because fools like you sailed us into the storm, where abandoning ship is a worse fate than fighting our way through, does not give you the right to stand by the lifeboats and gloat that nobody is trying to board them. It does not mean the course you advocated was right all along.

" So, how's that recession coming?"

You been watching the news lately Brosz? Inflation is up, Economic growth is flatlined and heading south. Gas is through the roof. The stock market is down and heading south. Billions if not Trillions of dollars of middle-class assets are vaporizing in the housing crisis. We may or may not avoid a recession 'by the books', but we are in the middle of a terrible economic period for most wage earners.

and If a Recession hits us, I'm sure you'll have a Quibble for that too. A reason why we really are in the best of all possible wolds, and that nobody could have done anything better or different than what was done.

You, Tom, are 'Chicken Quibble'. If the Sky were indeed falling on our ears, you would stand in the middle of a field and crow about how nothing could have been done differently, that this is the best possible outcome, and that we're fools to run for safety. We should be grateful for this wonderful turn of events...

Frankly, I don't buy this any moe than I buy your voluminous bloviations about how we just HAD to invade Iraq to save America back in 2003. You were wrong then, and you're wrong now, and your talking points, chorus chants, and pack of howling traitor-chanting apes don't change how history played out.

Yeti