"The debate in Congress...has been helpful in demonstrating to the Iraqis that American patience is limited," Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Jordan yesterday. "The strong feeling expressed in the Congress about the timetable probably has had a positive impact...communicating to the Iraqis that this is not an open-ended commitment."
On a Middle East tour, Gates was reacting to Muqtada al-Sadr's decision to pull out six followers from the Iraqi cabinet, expressing hope that "broadening representation" might be "positive."
It would be easy to dismiss Gates' comment as wishful thinking, but recognizing the value of Congressional opposition to the war is a huge step forward for the Bush Administration--a reality-based wishful thinking in contrast to the dream world that Donald Rumsfeld inhabited.
Now if only Bush and Cheney can resist the temptation to have Gates "clarify" his statement by denying it...
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