Do You Think There Will Be A Troop Surge

Bi-Polar Bear wrote:

I do... I don't think a dem congress and senate can do anything about it. Bush obviously has no concerns about opinion or his legacy, or the will of the undeniable majority of the country.

If you impeach him, then it's Cheney....even worse.

Oh, I did not know you personally knew President Bush and what he thinks. Next time you see him tell him I said "HI".

Do You Think There Will Be A Troop Surge

Why Hawks Win
By Daniel Kahneman, Jonathan Renshon

Page 1 of 1
January/February 2007
Why are hawks so influential? The answer may lie deep in the human mind. People have dozens of decision-making biases, and almost all favor conflict rather than concession. A look at why the tough guys win more than they should.

National leaders get all sorts of advice in times of tension and conflict. But often the competing counsel can be broken down into two basic categories. On one side are the hawks: They tend to favor coercive action, are more willing to use military force, and are more likely to doubt the value of offering concessions. When they look at adversaries overseas, they often see unremittingly hostile regimes who only understand the language of force. On the other side are the doves, skeptical about the usefulness of force and more inclined to contemplate political solutions. Where hawks see little in their adversaries but hostility, doves often point to subtle openings for dialogue.

As the hawks and doves thrust and parry, one hopes that the decision makers will hear their arguments on the merits and weigh them judiciously before choosing a course of action. Don't count on it. Modern psychology suggests that policymakers come to the debate predisposed to believe their hawkish advisors more than the doves. There are numerous reasons for the burden of persuasion that doves carry, and some of them have nothing to do with politics or strategy. In fact, a bias in favor of hawkish beliefs and preferences is built into the fabric of the human mind.

I was listening to GOP Rep Lindsay Graham on this Week with George Stephanopolis this morning. He was making an impassioned plea to the effect that no one is talking about what will happen in Iraq if we redeploy or withdraw.

I've always respected Lindsay Graham, but I can't help feeling as if Bushco knows that we don't have enough troops to secure the region, and are merely stalling for time (with the lives of our soldiers) to pass this mess on to the next president.