Surge: Emerge? Purge? Verge? Submerge? Splurge?

Happy 1st Anniversary: Bush Surge. Thirty-thousand new troops into Iraq. Most GOP pundits and talking heads as well as presidential candidates like John McCain state flatly, "The surge is working." McCain crows that whenever he gets a chance; he did so loudly yesterday in South Carolina, the home of Ft. Sumpter, the opening battle of the southern insurgency. Those South Carolinians are surely a warmongering lot and McCain loves to show off his toughness. He told them that without the 'surge' al-Qaeda would not be defeated. The poor man.

Beyond the spin, one might look back at this year of the surge to weigh its effectiveness. After all, the financial cost alone merits such an evaluation. The human cost, naturally, supersedes the money. So, what did Mr. Bush get for the blood and money investment called the surge?

On January 10, 2006, in his address to the nation, Mr. Bush stated that the principle reason for the extra troops was to quell the violence so that the law makers could resolve their differences and move the government forward.

It hasn't happened. The violence is down, but the legislators are still split between the two or three religious factions.

Now what? How long do we wait? Why are our troops playing policeman?

So many questions; so few answers.

Perhaps Mr. Bush was thinking of Demiurge but 'surge' came tumbling from his twisted tongue.