Tiptoe Through the Troop Surge

Congressman Mike Rogers has plunged into the Brave New World of the 110th Congress. According to The Buzz in Monday's Press & Argus, the New and Improved Mike is blissfully bipartisan (Nancy Pelosi as Speaker is an "historic achievement"). On today's P&A front page, we find that Rogers balks at troop 'surge'

Gee, even the Press and Argus knows that "surge" is just a shorter & more
tasteful way of spelling "escalation."

In the early part of the Democratic majority’s Hundred Hour legislative push, Rogers is artfully reading the political tea leaves and moving away from his lockstep unity with Bush on Iraq policy. He has "concerns" that a troop increase won't have the "desired outcome"

"America's military men and women who have sacrificed so much must know that the new way forward in Iraq is a plan in which the military mission and the rules of engagement are clearly defined, and specific benchmarks are outlined for Iraqis to take over so our troops can come home."

Fair enough -- but three years and 3,000 deaths later we're still waiting for that clearly defined mission and those specific benchmarks.

One can only hope that Rogers' "concern" will surge to the point that he develops a backbone and stands up to the President on this sad and wasteful war.