Bush cynically puts his war on terror on the back burner until after the election

All right, that does it! Why exactly would any veteran or anyone on active duty even think of voting for George W. Bush?



The Bush administration now admits that it will delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after the U.S. elections because they are concerned that large-scale military offensives might affect the presidential race. Pentagon officials confirm that they will not try to retake cities such as Fallouja and Ramadi, where the insurgents' grip is strongest and U.S. casualties would be the highest, until after Americans vote in what is likely to be an extremely close election.



"When this election's over, you'll see us move very vigorously," said a Bush administration official involved in strategic planning, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Once you're past the election, it changes the political ramifications. We're not on hold right now. We're just not as aggressive."



We aren't likely to hear any complaints from Iyad Allawi, the U.S. appointed Interim Iraqi Prime Minister, who believes that he would face an uncertain future under a president Kerry and has a vested interest in seeing Bush re-elected. He is acutely aware of how bloody the next steps in the Iraq war will be and he knows the negative impact that an American body count would have on the election. "A lot of his political future depends on our election," said the senior administration official.



But worst of all, the 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq who are trying to break the will of a deadly insurgency, will be expected to understand and accommodate the needs of U.S. politics and the demands of their Iraqi hosts.



Los Angeles Times - Major Assaults on Hold Until After U.S. Vote