Positive direction in Iraq?

If you've been reading my blog over the years then you know I don't support Pres. Bush on most issues (though I have admired his recent courage on teaming up with democrat leaders to update the immigration laws despite taking a severe beating from republicans over it). Of course the issue that I disagree with most strongly about, to the point that I am very made and resentful of the price he's made our country pay, is the Iraq war. Imagine if the guy who won the popular vote in 2000, Al Gore, was President. Can you really imagine that this week would mark the death of our 3,500th soldier? No way. Even still, there have been a couple developments lately that give me hope that Bush might change directions. It's true that he vetoed congressional funding which including withdrawal timelines, but I'm not sure that was the right approach anyway. It's also true that when the Baker-Hamilton report came out last December he missed the opportunity of bi-partisan support for stepping down and changing direction by increasing troop levels by more than 20,000. But now that we're 5 months into his surge and most accounts show that it's not working, and he's got angry Republicans afraid of losing their seats in 2008 over this war, he'd be smart to find away to back out of this while saving some face. Which is why it has caught my attention that he's created a position nicknamed the "war czar," which will be a high level advisor who will focus solely on managing Iraq and Afghanistan and will report to him on a daily basis. Of course, isn't that the job of the Secretary of Defense or National Security Advisor? Pretty much, except they have a whole lot on their plate as well, and this person wouldn't have anything else. I also found it interesting that he's creating this position 4 years into the war and that as he put out feelers, everyone was turning him down. One of the most encouraging things I've heard from his White House is that he eventually nominated Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, a well respected military leader who is actually on record as opposing the troop surge. He essentially re-affirmed that position during his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday and said it's clear that things are not going in the right direction and that if nothing changes, things will only get worse. The most remarkable thing about the hearing was hearing a Republican Senator quote an intelligence briefing which stated that our presence in Iraq is actually creating more members of Al-Qaeda than are being removed! The predictions I made 3-4 years ago are now so evident that leading Republicans are mentioning them! Anyway, the fact that Bush has nominated Lute as his point man on Iraq signals to me that he wants a change in direction and wants the political cover to make it possible. Bush can make the adjustments that need to be made and make it seem like he's trusting the advice of his military leader, rather than backing out or running away. The other encouraging sign is that at a recent press conference, Bush brought up the Baker-Hamilton report multiple times, perhaps signalling that he's ready to use that bi-partisan report as political cover as well. The next big opportunity to make a change will be in September as the current funding bill expires. I hope he does make changes, and it looks slightly possible he will, but then again, very little he does suprises me anymore.