Roger Simon Ponders "October Surprise" Troop Withdrawal

The people who have always refused to give a timetable for US troops leaving Iraq are suddenly considering pulling some of them out in the hope that this might aid McCain in the November election.

President George Bush wants to speed up the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq, a move that could help to quell the anti-war anxieties of voters before November's presidential election.

The more I read this stuff the more I realise that the press live in a world where every single proposed action of any kind is always seen in the context of something which "aids McCain".

In this video, Roger Simon of The Politico, states:

And if a drawdown of troops is seen to be militarily justified because we’re winning, because the surge is working, and not political trickery because Republicans need it for the fall elections, then that is likely to be effective.

However, all we are actually witnessing is a possible return to pre-surge levels in Iraq. This is not the withdrawal which they are trying to sell it as.

But the important thing to remember is that "all of this helps McCain". Everything always does according to the beltway logic.

Tags: Iraq war, US election 2008, Bush, McCain, Obama, troop withdrawal, surge