The troops be damned

Atrios argues rather forcefully that there will be no troop withdrawals under Bush. He believes Bush wants to stay in Iraq permanently, and as long as the insurgency continues, you can't stay there with fewer troops than we already have -- at least that's how I read his argument.

I basically agree with his premise that Bush wants to stay there permanently. I think he sees Iraq as an American base in the Middle East. But, I wouldn't rule out some cosmetic withdrawals, designed solely for domestic political consumption. If that exposes the remaining troops to greater risk, I'm sure Bush wouldn't pause for one second because of it. After all, he's not even willing to get the guys who are there body armor. If there's political gain to be made at home, the troops be damned.