President Bush's Iraq Speech

Tonight, President George Bush will address the nation about his new plans to deal with Iraq. President Bush will suggest that the number of troops in Iraq should be increased, which is an idea Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed with on May 30, 2004 on Meet the Press with Tim Russert:

Tim Russert: "What would you do? What would you do in Iraq today right now?"

Nancy Pelosi: "What I would do is, and what I think our country must do in Iraq is take an assessment of where we are, and there has to be a leveling with the American people and with Congress as to what's really happening there. It's very hard to say what you would do. We need more troops on the ground."

Russert: "Would you send more American troops in order to stabilize the situation?"

Pelosi: "Yes."

RedState bloggers are have offering what they think President Bush should announce this evening. Redstate's Steiff wants President Bush to reinforce to the American people that Iraq is part of a long war against Muslim extremists, and we must be patient with Iraq. Redstate's Mark I also wants to see President Bush reiterate this is a long, open-ended war and define victory as the objective.

Captains' Quarters' Captain Ed opines, "I'd like to hear the strategy before passing final judgment on the idea. While I'm not sold on the use of "surge" to describe a sustained increase of 20,000 troops, it's ridiculous to compare that to the massive escalations of the Johnson administration in Vietnam. If the mission has explicit definitions and targets and the rules of engagement allow the troops to accomplish it, then it makes sense. It is in our interests and those of Iraq to put an end to the sectarian violence in Baghdad and Anbar. A concentrated clear-and-hold that relies on American troops in a primary position could give enough of an opportunity for calmer heads to prevail, and for serious rebuilding and jobs efforts to have a soothing effect on the divide. I do agree that this may be Bush's last, best chance to change directions in support of victory in Iraq. If it doesn't succeed, then the Democrats will likely force his hand towards defeat and retreat."

Ace of Spades HQ would rather see President Bush announce even more troop deployments: " It's not the sort of eyepopping number I'd have preferred, like 40,000 or 50,000..."

On Powerline blog, Senator John McCain guestblogged about President Bush's expected announcement. Here is an excerpt: "We have made many mistakes since 2003, and these will not be easily reversed. But from everything I witnessed on my most recent visit, I believe that success is still possible. Even greater than the costs incurred thus far and in the future are the catastrophic consequences that would ensue from our failure in Iraq. By surging troops and bringing security to Baghdad and other areas, we will give the Iraqis the best possible chance to succeed. Our national security, and that of our friends and allies, compels us to make our best effort to prevail, and to do it now."

Daily KOS Setting Senate Schedule?

Wizbang's Lorie Byrd is appalled to discover that Senator Dick Durbin posted on Daily KOS, asking for their input to create a far-left agenda for the Senate.

2008 Update

As Right Angle's Ivy J. Sellers reports, Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's closest friends and supporters made calls and raised $6.5 million. And as Right Angle's Robert Bluey notes, Mitt Romney finally grew a spine and took a position on the Iraq war.

Townhall.com's Mary Katharine Ham opines that Senator John McCain's cointoss before the 2006 College football BCS Championship was a "was a pretty nice gig." Many Republican primary voters were probably watching the game.

Meanwhile, Senator Sam Brownback earned a major endorsement from Kim Lehman, director of the Iowa Right to Life.

And Hugh Hewitt mocks a silly Associated Press report's in a negative light about Giuliani Partners representing corporations: "I suppose this would be true if Giuliani was in the hunt for the presidency of Greenpeace, but he is seeking the GOP nomination for president."

Good Economic News
Bizzyblog's Tom Blumer finds that mass layoffs in steep decline, which is yet another indicator that America's economy is in good shape.

Editor's Note

Tomorrow, I'll have a large roundup of what conservative bloggers thought about President Bush's speech this evening. Stay tuned!

If you have a comment, suggestion, complaint, or an interesting link that I missed, please email me at matthewnaugle@gmail.com.