Operation Iraq Leaving

I’m sure you’re all aware that the original name of the Excellent Iraq Adventure (TM) was none other than “Operation Iraqi Liberation (TM)”. The problem with such a name is obvious: it creates a subliminal dissonance in constantly saying “it’s not about oil” when the brand name you chose for it has a convenient acronym of O.I.L. (Hence “Operation Iraqi Freedom”– OIF– was born.)
Anyway, I guess we need to come up with something like “Operation Hold the House” or “Operation Fool the Rubes So we can Win the Mid-terms” or something like that. Because reminiscent of the old SNL bit of “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead,” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is still Secretary of Defense, and during a visit to Iraq, talks of reducing troop strength to under 100,000 Americans are underway.
While reducing the level of USA troops in Iraq to under 99,000 by Columbus Day is, because of the political necessity to do so, a certainty, I am betting that the new savior of the universe, Mr. Al-Maliki, will “ask” us to reduce our troops to under 60,000 by the end of the year. I won’t bet much, of course… perhaps 50, 75 cents maybe? Roughly the amount by which the current average price of gasoline will decline by Labor Day (after going up a bit by July 4th).
Gotta win those mid-terms. Or else.