Good for Kay Bailey Hutchison

The Left Blogosphere and Democrats on the Hill are aflutter over a statement from Senator Hutchison that is much more true than false:

Speaking about a Democratic proposal to force Iraq troop withdrawal within 120 days, Hutchison said Tuesday that such a proposal would "put a bullet right in the hearts of our troops who are there."

Hutchison had joined fellow Republican leaders to question the political motivations behind the 35th Iraq related vote in the Senate over the past year, and was trying to make the point that mandatory withdrawal on the heels of recent military success would undermine the troops.

But her choice of words made it sound like Democrats were advocating something that would kill U.S. troops, and it didn't go over well with Democratic leaders.

Hutchison's spokesman tried to walk back this language after Harry Reid shit a brick, suggesting that she meant "bullseye" rather than "bullet" as she's said in the past. But I think she is correct either way.

Telling al Qaeda that we're giving up endangers the lives our soldiers who are there now and any who remain in the long term. Both Democratic presidential candidates and Democrats in Congress have acknowledged that we will still have some presence in the region for years to come, even if we pull the troops out of the war effort. The Democratic attempt to cause a meltdown in Iraq (and blame Republicans for it) puts a gigantic bullseye on the troops and Democrats are kidding themselves if they think that an early withdrawal will not have a price in blood among U.S. soldiers. Not to mention any Iraqis who aren't down with the whole murdering their neighbors thing.

Nice job, Senator.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 02:10 AM

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