Less than three months after John Kerry said "If the President would move in this direction -- if he would bring in more help from other countries to provide resources and forces, train the Iraqis to provide their own security, develop a reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people, and take the steps necessary to hold credible elections next year -- we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four years", Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld finds himself in total agreement with the former Democratic candidate, saying he also expected U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq in four years.

Curiously, neither George Bush nor Dick Cheney has accused Rumsfeld of wanting to cut and run; of cowardice; of betraying his country; of giving aid and comfort to the enemy, or any of the other baseless accusations leveled at Kerry in the last two months of the Presidential election.

At the time, the Bush campaign successfully argued from both sides of their grey-lipped mouths. Kerry was a pessimist and, they said, Iraq will be peaceful in closer to 4 months than 4 years. And, Kerry is a quitter, while we'll stay the course no matter how long it takes.

Now, the Bush administration has made a clear admission: if everything goes right, our men and women will be home just in time for the next election. Any longer than that and it'll hurt Republicans in the voting booth, though I suspect voters will notice far earlier than the media.

From The Detroit Free Press, December 7, 2004

Rumsfeld: Troop pullout hinges on Iraq's security
U.S. forces could be out within 4 years

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday that he expected U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq within four years, but he cautioned that any final decision hinged on the progress that Iraq's civilian government and security forces make by then.

He said the Iraqis have been "performing very well," but acknowledged that poorly equipped police officers had been caught in "a mismatch" against well-armed, well-trained and well-led insurgents.

"So we've got the task of continuing the training and equipping of the Iraqis so that they can take over the security responsibilities of their country," Rumsfeld said. "There's going to be some steps forward and steps back."

Last week, the Defense Department said it would increase the number of troops in Iraq from 138,000 to 150,000 by early next month, to help provide security for the Iraqi elections on Jan. 30 and to keep pressure on the insurgency.

Pentagon officials said the increase would be temporary, through March. But many U.S. military officers and Iraqi ministry officials have forecast that the United States would have to keep a sizable troop presence in Iraq for years to come to battle a resilient and deadly insurgency and to help prevent civil war.

Rumsfeld noted that President George W. Bush has repeatedly said U.S. forces would stay as long as needed in Iraq.

I first noticed the story while contributing to Minnesota Gop Watch. Here's what the right-wing bloggers said about Kerry's comments not quite 3 months ago:

Captain's Quarters:

As part of our new feature (which will use the Heroes category for archiving, CQ received this e-mail yesterday from Bruce, which actually appeared first in our comments section. Bruce received this timely message from his son, an Army Captain in Iraq who is working to train Iraqi security forces so they can stand on their own. Given the recent targeting of enlistment and training facilities by terrorists, Bruce's son might be sympathetic to Kerry's insistence on telling the world we're leaving. Not so (bolded portions are my emphasis):

I also wonder if Senator Kerry realizes that he is partially responsible for the recent upswing in violence. This, by the way, is not speculation... this is straight from one of my interpreter's mouth.

When Senator Kerry said that, if elected, he would pull us out of here in four years, the insurgent leadership had a rousing round of celebratory automatic weapons fire. The insurgents can easily hang out another four years, taking 10 casualties here, 3 there and they know it. And they know that a massive upswing in violence with resulting casualties will make President Bush look really bad and increase the Senator's chances of election.

Ed.: Formatting presented as in the original. Also -- check out this ad found at CQ:

Good Lord! Even if she's wrong, I can pretend to be Right. Point is -- and I do have one -- I don't want to see a woman in her underwear advertising Jesusland garments. I've got enough issues about my sexuality, thank you very much.

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The Key Monk:

Check out Captain's Quarters for a letter from an army captain who is in Iraq. The letter was forwarded to Captain Ed by the captain's dad. Here is the salient point:

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John Kerry, continuing to give aid and comfort to the enemy.

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Infidel Cowboy:

Cut and Run Kerry (and Carter)

...Follow the link to read the rest. Ed also notes who is firmly in Kerry's camp on this cut and run policy - noted military strategist and crisis management expert, Jimmy Carter.

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Pink Flamingo:

Is John Kerry Hurting the War effort with his blatherings?

Captains Quarters features a letter from a soldier in Afghanistan that mirrors an earlier letter both of them are taking John Kerry's to task all but accusing him of aiding and abetting the enemy. Back in WW2 this would have gotten him a quick trip to Jail for treason. But apparently if you are running for President you can say anything and it doesnt matter. More and more people are starting to notice this very problem. Wonder how long it takes before others start asking these questions.

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Ed. I don't find any commentary on Rumsfeld's statement on these blogs today. I'll keep looking.