Bush May Try To Rid Himself of the Rest of His Base

Those hardy souls who continue to be part of the 30% or so who still have a favorable view of President Bush's job performance are very likely holding on to that support by the barest of threads. There are two issues sure to get the dander of good conservatives up - illegal immigration and the U.N. The Immigration Reform Bill has already stripped some of Bush's support, and turning to the U.N. to bail us out of Iraq just might take care of the rest:

The Bush administration is developing plans to "internationalise" the Iraq crisis, including an expanded role for the United Nations, as a way of reducing overall US responsibility for Iraq's future and limiting domestic political fallout from the war as the 2008 election season approaches....

The US plan is expected to call for:

· Expanded UN involvement in overseeing Iraq's full transition to a "normal" democratic state, including an enhanced role for UN humanitarian agencies, the creation of a UN command, and possibly a Muslim-led peacekeeping force

· Increased involvement in Iraq policymaking of UN security council permanent members, Japan and EU countries - in particular, the new conservative government of French president Nicolas Sarkozy

· A bigger support role for regional countries, notably Sunni Arab Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, and international institutions such as the World Bank and IMF

· Renewed efforts to promote Iraqi government self-reliance, including attainment of national reconciliation "benchmarks"

· The accelerated removal of US troops from frontline combat duties as the handover to Iraqi security forces, backed by an increased number of US advisers, proceeds.

If we're turning to the U.N. for help, the war is clearly lost.