Clever Political Move 

I'll hand it to Joe Lieberman... in another push for Joementum, he's suggesting the formation of a war cabinet:

The Connecticut Democrat urged that a working group, called Victory in Iraq, be formed to meet at least weekly to refine U.S. strategies in the war. The panel, drawn from top national security officials and members of Congress from both major parties, would advise the Bush administration.

Lieberman appeared on Capitol Hill with military analyst Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr., who called for an end to the discussion of a U.S. withdrawal in Iraq. "That's not a strategy for victory," he said.

But victory, he said, will require sacrifice.

Krepinevich, saying the Army was nearing a "crisis" in recruiting and retaining soldiers, said more young people must volunteer for military service. He also called for a war bond drive to let Americans show support for the war and for a tax increase to help pay for it.

First of all, though an interesting suggestion, it's not exactly within the framework of our constitution, which says that the President is the Commander in Chief. Congress only authorizes wars, the President chooses how to fight it. Not that obeying the words in the Constitution is ever something that Congress is concerned with. However, it is a clever move, in that it is an attempt to show willingness to win in Iraq (and actually win), while trying to wrestle power away from Bush. The advantage is that things are right now improving in Iraq (not that you'd notice it in the paper). So by creating a cabinet like this now, then can avoid all the tough decisions (which have already been made), while claiming credit for future dividends they had nothing to do with.

Then there is the perpetuating the myth of the "crisis" with recruiting, even though active duty personnel re-enlistment is at all time highs:

The good news includes Army re-enlistments. As of August, all of the Army's 10 divisions had exceeded re-enlistment goals for the year to date. Those with the most experience in Iraq have the best rates. The 1st Cavalry Division is at 136 percent of its goal; the 3rd Infantry Division, at 117 percent.

"This is unprecedented in wartime," said retired Army officer Ralph Peters. "Even in World War II, we needed the draft. Where are the headlines? ...The ugly truth is that much of the media only cares about our soldiers when they're dead or crippled. That's a story."

Enlistment has also picked up since the "crisis in enlistment" was first reported several months ago, not that the MSM bothered to report that either. As usual, the press is more than willing to simply parrot someone's quote, without actually checking the facts behind what they say, and then claim it to be responsible journalism.