ON JANUARY 30, TOM MASON BLOGGED THIS:

I want to point out something to everyone who is bashing Senator Kennedy for calling for an immediate withdrawal of 12,000 troops following the elections. That was the Bush administration plan all along, except for the “immediate” part. U.S. forces were increased by 12,000 in the last month or two in order to help with security for the elections. So we will see the troop levels decrease by 12,000 in the very near future. I wonder if when the troops start coming home, the MSM will say that Bush realized that Kennedy was right after all?

Senator [Kennedy] is not stupid. He made a prediction on an event he knew was going to happen. Now he’s hoping that everyone will be too stupid to notice.

And voila! Kennedy’s plan works.

Of course, timing is everything. By calling the war lost, and calling for the withdrawal of troops, right before the Iraqi election, Kennedy was being tactically “smart” but also giving heart to the enemy. Except that they’ve probably learned by now that he’s not a reliable guide to American political opinion.