I guess the first big hint that Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., the top American commander in Iraq, did not enjoy reliable job security came earlier this week, when the New York Times explained that Bush believes Casey “had become more fixated on withdrawal than victory.”
The second hint came yesterday, at the White House press briefing, when Tony Snow wouldn’t comment on whether the president is pleased with Casey’s job performance.
This morning, the WaPo reported that Casey is out.
President Bush is overhauling his top diplomatic and military team in Iraq, as the White House scrambles to complete its new war policy package in time for the president to unveil it in a speech to the nation next week, officials said. […]
With significant policy details left to be worked out this weekend, the administration is nonetheless moving ahead on several personnel changes. It is set to announce that Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who gained fame for his early success in training Iraqi troops and securing a volatile city in northern Iraq, will replace Gen. George W. Casey Jr. as commander of the multinational forces in Iraq, officials say.
Bush’s line used to be, “I’ll listen to my military leaders on the ground.” Bush’s new line is, “When my military leaders on the ground tell me what I don’t want to hear, I’ll get new military leaders.”
Make no mistake, Casey has taken a fairly hard line against the president’s escalation plan. As BarbinMD noted this morning, “Casey opposed a major change in the Iraq strategy and as recently as last week, he was warning ‘against a lengthy expansion in the American military role.’
I fully expect Casey to become Bush’s fall guy in the short term. The White House has already started referring to recent failures in Iraq as part of “Casey’s strategy,” and now we’re likely to hear appeals for patience so that Bush’s “new team” has a chance to make a difference.
But before we see Casey’s name tarnished too thoroughly, and before we hear White House aides explain how they never really liked the general anyway, let’s not forget the gushing praise George Casey received before he told the president the truth about the escalation plan.
[W]e thought it would be interesting to go back and see what sort of things Bush and company were saying about Casey during that same period. And wouldn’t you know it, but we found repeated examples of Bush and Dick Cheney praising Casey to the skies! Of course, it’s not terribly surprising to find these guys lying again, but this contradiction’s so egregious — so easily exposed — that you almost have to marvel at the audacity of it. Either they were lying then, or they’re lying now — and our vote is for “now.”
He can change the players, and throw dissenters under the bus, but ultimately, Bush’s Iraq strategy isn’t changing at all.