Limbaugh Joins the Democrats?

That title just made me vomit in my mouth, but it sure appears accurate. Rush is advocating redeployment, which, I believe, has been a mainstay of the Democratic position on Iraq for over a year. I believe it's been characterized as "cutting and running," but I'm fairly sure that given Rush's corporeal corpulence, he isn't capable of running, so he's immune to that criticism.

…We're trying to build a democracy; these people are going to have to learn to defend it; they can only do that by failing and dusting themselves off. The irony here that Lowry points out is that that is what the Democrats are saying, "Get out of there and let the Iraqis have this," yet they hate him. Their hate is irrational. It's not based on substance and strategy. Looking at the Woodward book, I have a strategery, folks. I think there's two things we can do in Iraq. Let me run them by you and see what you think. The first thing is that we pull back out of Baghdad, and we position along the Syrian, Jordan and Iranian borders, and we say to the Iraqis:

"We're going to stop anybody coming across these borders. No more help from Iran. No more from Syria. No more from Jordan. Nobody's getting into this country. If we have to, we'll go 20 miles inland in each of these countries to make sure nobody gets through, but this is on you. We will make sure nobody else gets in. Now, you go in there (the Iraqis) and you clear out Baghdad. You do it once and for all, and then we're out." The second strategy is, "You don't want to go for that?" We say to the Iraqis, "All right, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take everybody we got and we're going to bring 'em into Baghdad and we're going to do search-and-destroy and we're going to take out anything that looks like an insurgent and we're going to take out anything that looks like a sympathizer, a terrorist or whatever, we're going to clean this place out — and then it's up to you."

Those are two things that are… Well, they're think pieces. I'm just thinking about this. But they both center on the fact that the Iraqis are going to have to at some point take care of all this. We'll either take care of it in Baghdad for them and we'll clear the place out and leave it up to them, or we'll go back to the borders and we'll make sure nobody is getting in there, and: "You clear out who's there. We'll go to Turkey, wherever we have to go to keep people from getting in, but it's up to you guys to wipe them out." Give them those two options. In either example, it is Shock and Awe of one form or another.

There you have it. Redeploy our troops out of the danger zones, onto the desolate borders of Iraq where they wont have a huge target painted on their back. I think it's a pretty good idea, actually. But then again, I thought it was a good idea when the Democrats proposed it over a year ago.

I welcomed Powell into the Party's big tent, but Rush Limbaugh either has to stand outside in the rain, or endure some hazing before being allowed entry. It might still be worth it, though, Rush. I promise the hazing wont be worse than average fraternity pranks.

(via the estimable Crooks and Liars)