Bill Kristol is restrained:

In an essay that hints of rhetoric yet to come, we read the following by Kristol:

" Congress ... wants to lose a war."

"Democrats in the House" are "Defeatist Democrats"

"most" of the "mainstream media ... have simply given up on reporting the war or analyzing arguments about the war"

"foreign policy and White House reporters have little interest in what is actually happening in Iraq"

" the foreign policy establishment and its fellow travelers in the punditocracy" are not "engaging in a grown-up debate"

"The establishment, like the media and the Democrats" are "out to destroy Bush, his ideas, and his supporters, no matter the consequences for the country."

"the Democratic party in Congress, much of the media, and the foreign policy establishment--have joined together to try to panic the country"

You've gotta love the "fellow travelers in the punditocracy" line. In any event, this is the restrained Kristol for, you see, he's pleased that Bush is sticking with the surge and dismissing his critics. Imagine what Kristol will say a few months from now when it's likely the country, Democrats, and not a few Republicans, will be demanding some kind of exit from Iraq.

UPDATE: In comments to a post at TNR that linked to Kristol, one person wrote:

I read Kristol's article. Did I miss something or was there no mention of any actual positive results of the surge to support his claim that the surge is working?

All I read was denunciation of Congress; a label for anyone that criticizes Bush as Defeatists; and an actual admission that things have gotten tougher (Al Qaeda is surging as is Iran) not better since the surge began.

posted by Quiddity at 7/14/2007 07:25:00 PM