US troop reductions in Iraq could start in September

NY Times:

The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago.

Such a withdrawal would be a striking reversal from the nadir of the war in 2006 and 2007.

...

Although no decision has been made, by the time President Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, at least one and as many as 3 of the 15 combat brigades now in Iraq could be withdrawn or at least scheduled for withdrawal, the officials said.

The desire to move more quickly reflects the view of many in the Pentagon who want to ease the strain on the military but also to free more troops for Afghanistan and potentially other missions.

...

The tone of the article seems to be unwilling to acknowledge the victory in Iraq, but instead couches in terms of the need for additional troops in Afghanistan, where casualties are up, but no where near where casualties were in Iraq a little over a year ago. There are some elements who just are not willing to admit they were wrong about the surge and its effects. This article appears to be directed toward those people.

I think one reason why an honest evaluation of the reasons for the early departure would not help the political cause of Democrats who were dead wrong about Iraq as they proved by voting over 60 times for retreat and defeat. With their desperation for defeat thwarted, they are still unwilling to admit the success of the operation they opposed so patiently.

The Democrats should be paying a political price for their wrong judgment on Iraq, but the media is not willing to hold them accountable and the Republicans seem too timid to attack them on their own.