Conservatives George Will, David Brooks and Oliver North Join Critics of the "Surge"

Editor&Publisher: George Will and David Brooks Join Critics of the 'Surge'
By E&P Staff
Published: January 07, 2007

NEW YORK - Among the many newspaper columnists questioning President Bush's plan to send 20,000 or more fresh troops to Iraq are quite a few conservatives breaking with the White House on this.

Oliver North, for example, attacked the idea in his syndicated column on Friday and today, in the Washington Post, George Will comments that the "surge" idea is basically too little and too late, and will only lead to a "protracted" U.S. struggle. The column is titled, "Surge, or Power Failure?"

Meanwhile, David Brooks at The New York Times comments, "Unfortunately, if the goal is to create a stable, unified Iraq, the surge is a good policy three years too late." It's chance for success is almost nil.

Will identifies a "better policy" as Richard Nixon's decision to announce a phased pullout from Vietnam: "The announced policy of withdrawals gave the U.S. some leverage to force the government in Saigon — not a paragon, but better than the government in Baghdad today — to recognize that the clock was running on its acceptance of responsibility for Vietnam's security," Will writes....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003528647

If anyone has his finger on the GOP pulse it is he.