SO MUCH ROOM....

SO MUCH ROOM. President Bush's forthcoming announcement, perhaps as early as Thursday, that he plans reduce troops in Iraq by 30,000 by next summer -- after increasing troops in Iraq by roughly that amount just as pressure mounted for him to start drawing them down earlier this year -- reminded me of the classic Jewish joke about the man whose house was too small. Instead of helping him move, his rabbi had him add a chicken, a goat, and a cow to the house, until things became completely unlivable, what with his six children, his wife's parents, and all the animals. So he goes to the Rabbi again:

"Listen, Rabbi. I'm sure you are very wise, but I just don't understand how this is helping us. We have no room to sit or stand or move in there! We're all ready to kill each other!""OK," says the sage, "put all the animals back in the barn."A few days later, the man runs into the rabbi."How are things at home?" the rebbe asks."Oi! Rabbi! It's wonderful! Lately, we have so much room!"

Should things go according to plan, by next summer, Bush will be in a position to claim credit for a drawdown. Will Americans breathe sighs of relief and thankfulness for this, even though they will be right back where they were in early 2007? The tale of the rabbi suggests the answer will be yes.

--Garance Franke-Ruta