Kerry needs to INOCULATE!

[ewagner]

against an offensive in Falluja.

I picture Dubya going on National TV, preempting programming, from the oval office, solemnly telling the people of the US that a desperate struggle is taking place (as the attack has started) and that the future of Iraq and the safety of America is at stake....followed by the obligatory "Pray for our Troops" and "God Bless America".

I know. I'm paranoid.

But the reports coming out of Iraq sound like the offensive is imminent.

What do you think?

[Beetwasher]

1. Yes, It's Rove's Last Desperate Oct. Surprise

He's going to wag the dog that already done been wagged to death...Assaulting Fallujah AGAIN!

[patrice]

2. Agreed! Inoculate now please! n/t

[Goldmund]

3. "End of major combat operations."

"Mission accomplished."

It would just bring forward the fact that Iraq is a mess and a disaster. I highly doubt they'll try to pull this.

[ewagner]

8. If

Americans had an attention span longer than ONE news cycle, I would agree. They're counting on short memories.

[grasswire]

4. absolutely

but surely Joe and Mike are savvy enough to see this.

[sisenor]

5. BUT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE THE MOST DESPERATE

OF POLITICAL MOVES!

[eataTREE]

10. Since when has shame stopped the * administration from doing anything?

(n/t)

[skylarmae]

14. that's what I say. These people have had no moral ethics

since way before georgie porgie went off to college. On second thought, not for generations. Yeah, generations.

[sisenor]

21. I know they have no ethics, but it's the embarrassment of

looking so desperate that might halt them from such a move. Then again, their whole policy is aimed at people with low IQ, so their constituents would probably buy a Falluja offensive.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. May well happen

A real roll of the dice for Bush to do with upside and downside to him.

Kerry would have to strongly back our troops while saying this all could have been handled so much earlier at much less of a cost if Bush had given the Army the troops they really needed right after the invasion.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

7. This "Offensive" will start Sunday night and will be all over....

the "news" Monday morning. I hope the people don't fall for it.

[ewagner]

11. That's what I'm thinking n/t

[bullimiami]

9. i dont think so

what is bush going to do ?

tell us that the major battle has now started in the war that he had declared over?

mission accomplished, uh, no mission not accomplished, pray for our troops?

wont look good for him.

[yellowcanine]

12. Too risky and too late - If Bush does this he is sunk. Kerry should

simply say, "I pray for the success of the mission and the safety of our troops."

[exsoccermom]

15. Pray for our troops and innocents who are being

put in harms way.

[bowens43]

13. Wonder how the troops feel about being used

as a pawn in rove's political chess match?

[DrFunkenstein]

16. I Thought You Meant Bush's Flu Shot Comment Was A Ruse

To get Kerry to skip his flu shot until Cheney released a deadly flu gas into the elevator with Kerry.

(flu gas...I hate when I laugh at my own jokes, especially when they're really stupid)

[NightOwwl]

17. We can help.

Get the story out. Preempt them. He's using our troops as a political ploy. Use the media thread in this forum and start emailing. I'm heading over there now.

[ewagner]

18. Good idea!

LTTEs and emails to news types

Any other suggestions?

[NightOwwl]

24. blogs

talking points memo: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
daily kos: http://www.dailykos.com/

are a couple of good ones.

[Tom Rinaldo]

19. Folks, the troops will go into Falluja, it's a matter of when

By invading Iraq and botching the aftermath, Bush allowed it to actually become a haven for terrorists, the actual kill Americans, plot to attack the U.S. kind of terrorists who really do exist.

It's only a matter of how much a a split the current Iraq "government" can negotiate between the hardliners and the disgruntled, and hence how bitter a fight it will be. The hardliners will never give up, they have no better place to go.

So yes the timing is political, Bush has always been weighing whether it will help or hurt him more to go in before or after the Elections. And yes it will be controversial, but Kerry has to be very careful how he plays this. Bush is waiting to polish up his "Kerry has no resolve, flip flops in the wind" lines with new ammunition.

I suggested the line I think he will take above. Support our troops, while blaming the Commander in Chief who allowed this situation to spin out of control so badly that now many more lives will be at risk, both Iraqi and American.

The media will take up the timing issue, or perhaps liberal commentators. Kerry has to be very careful here.

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

20. Many American Casualties, how would that look?

Plus there would be scenes of chaos and bloodshed, how could that benefit bush?

[krkaufman]

22. I've been thinking the same thing.

Except Kerry shouldn't say a word about it -- before or after the start of operations -- other than support for the troops.

Any criticism relative to the politically-timed operation, should it start before Wednesday morning, should come from surrogates -- like Clark or McPeak.

[Tom Rinaldo]

26. What I think Clark would say

Once we were already in Iraq, we should have gone into Falluja a long time ago, or finished the job the first time we started to clean it out, like the field commanders wanted. The situation was only getting worse by allowing it to keep deteriorating. It gave the insurgents more time to dig in and prepare defenses. Bush held off this long because he didn't want high American casualties before the November election. He's going in now because the news cycle for the last few weeks has been breaking increasingly away from him on Iraq, so now he has to do something dramatic on the eve of an American Election to prove his toughness. Never use our military to further your political ends (except he would say that last part much tougher).

[krkaufman]

28. Yes, very good, Tom.

I'd say that would very much be the 'gist of it, along with underscoring that we're where we are because we failed to listen to our generals and invaded with too few troops.

[DoYouEverWonder]

23. Since the US is the occupying power in Iraq

why are we still bombing civilian populations?

Yet, we didn't even inspect the facilities that we thought housed Saddam's WMD programs?

[SammyWinstonJack]

27. That pic of the chimp is really bad!

What the heck is wrong with him?

[DoYouEverWonder]

29. Hopefully

he is self distructing.

[The_Casual_Observer]

25. I suggest that this will happen on Sunday about 4 pm.

"The battle for freedom has been joined, freedom is on the march,we stand united, god bless america". Takes him right through till Tuesday.

[billyoc]

30. After "Mission Accomplished".

Yeah. That'll take him right through 'til Tuesday.

And right out the door in January.