Senator Jon Tester Engages in Vietnam Era Nostalgia

If one needed further proof that a lot of opposition to the War in Iraq is fueled by anti Vietnam War protest nostalgia, one should only consider the most recent proposal by Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana. It is essentially the George Aiken solution. Declare victory and get out.

George Aiken was a Republican Senator from Vermont back during the Vietnam era who, having found himself appalled at the mess Lyndon Johnson had been in South East Asia, offered the solution to the quagmire: declare victory and get out.

Senator Tester at least attempts to put more of a fig leaf on his proposal than Aiken did forty odd years ago. He maintains that there were three reasons to invade Iraq. Find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. Topple Saddam Hussein. Help the Iraqis establish a freely elected government. No weapons of mass destruction were found, but the other two goals have been achieved. Hence, we are victorious in Iraq and can now leave.

Tester's plan is, if nothing else, creative.

First, the original 2002 act authorizing the Iraq campaign would be repealed. President Bush will be compelled to justify maintaining troops in Iraq to the Congress. If Congress is not convinced enough to pass a new authorization, the troops must come home. One wonders what the President can say that he has not said already that would convince folks like Senator Tester.

Next, Tester would compel American troops having served a tour in Iraq to have an "adequate period of rest and training" before being sent back. What constitutes an "adequate period" is unknown. Very likely it is a ploy to prevent the administration from maintaining an adequate force in Iraq regardless of what Congress authorizes.

Next, Tester would "redouble" our efforts in Afghanistan. That means that while we won't be able to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq, we will (at least until the cut and round crowd in Congress lose patience) be able to fight them in Afghanistan. It's sort of like deciding in World War II that we'll fight the Nazis in Italy but not in France or Germany.