Times (London) Online - Editorial

And you thought the Democrats were pessimistic.Times Online - Comment - Vote Bush: it's the quickest way to get American troops out of Iraq

Only Mr Bush can plausibly orchestrate withdrawal with dignity. Only he can spin defeat into a sort of victory. Neither the Democrats nor Washington’s military and diplomatic establishment would oppose him. The ranters who got him into this and now cry, “on to Iran, on to Syria”, will be of less account after an election. Mr Bush’s eye will be on posterity, and he is not stupid. He will have Mr Blair egging him on.

Consider instead John Kerry. He wants to involve “our European allies” in Iraq. He would plead with Mr Blair to stay, and plead for his help in securing a wider United Nations involvement. Desperate not to seem weak, Mr Kerry is likely to struggle ever deeper into the Iraqi quagmire. Any move to disengage will be seen as treachery by his enemies, as undoing the work of his Republican predecessors. Rather than hand Iraq over to the unavoidable next phase of civil upheaval and partition, Mr Kerry will postpone and let the mission creep ever forward. The hapless Mr Blair will be dragged along, too. Mr Kerry must make Iraq a success. Mr Bush need only to make it go away. For an early end to the war, I would vote Bush.