The Isolation of George W. Bush

[T]he neocons seem ready now to start acting unilaterally again [against Iran]….[A] grand bargain wouldn’t serve America’s purpose in the middle east…”

DKo, 2/23/07
Well, there is “America’s purpose in the middle east,” and there are the neocons–increasingly two different animals. “America’s purpose,” (as defined by the ruling elites, and represented by the Iraq Study Group and the Council on Foreign Relations) is just not as “patriotic” as the neocons are. And by now they don’t see exclusive hegemony over Iran as attainable, anyway. It could go like this…
The neocons, including Bush/Cheney, will be isolated domestically. Apparently they won’t bend, and will have to be broken.
The Dems in congress appear to have decided to make the Iraq Study Group, rather than conditional war funding, the club with which to beat Bush. It will be the substantive framework of an updated War Powers Resolution.
The one part of the ISG report that hardly anyone has criticized is the opening of diplomacy with Syria and Iran. It is going to serve as the way Republicans as well as conservative Democrats can back or ignore Bush on the Surge, vote against the new WP Resolution, but still put some distance between themselves and him.
Iran/Syria diplomacy probably has a sizable majority in both houses even as we speak. It may not be veto-proof, but it also may be so lopsided as to be irresistible.