A disturbing item in the NY Times:

They described Mr. Hadley as deeply concerned that the loss of Republicans could accelerate this week, a fear shared by Mr. Rove. But they also said that Mr. Rove had warned that if Mr. Bush went too far in announcing a redeployment, the result could include a further cascade of defections — and the passage of legislation that would force a withdrawal by a specific date, a step Mr. Bush has always said he would oppose.

Question: should non-military-expert Karl Rove be influencing if not establishing military policy? In this case, he advises minimizing redeployment so as to avoid the possibility of legislation the president has opposed. Once again, politics dictates policy. Meanwhile our soldiers fight on, sacrificing their limbs and lives.

It's especially disturbing since Rove recently stated in Aspen, Colorado that al-Qaida was responsible for "80 to 90 percent of the bombs that are killing U.S. soldiers" in Iraq. However, a much more astute expert on the military, Colin Powell, responded the figure was closer to 10%. The point being, Rove knows not what he's talking about and yet he apparently has much to say about our policy in Iraq. Likely explains more of the failure.