Why does a former Broadway critic make the case for leaving Iraq better than our political leaders?
In America, the war has been a settled issue since early 2007. No matter what has happened in Iraq since then, no matter what anyone on any side of the Iraq debate has had to say about it, polls have consistently found that a majority of Americans judge the war a mistake and want out. For that majority, the war is over except for finalizing the withdrawal details. They’ve moved on without waiting for the results of Election Day 2008 or sampling the latest hectoring ad from moveon.org.
Perhaps if Americans had been asked for shared sacrifice at the war’s inception, including a draft, they would be in 1968-ish turmoil now. But they weren’t, and they aren’t. In 2008, the Vietnam analogy doesn’t hold. The center does.
The good news for Democrats — and the big opportunity for Barack Obama — is that John McCain and the war’s last cheerleaders don’t recognize that immutable reality. They’re so barricaded in their own Vietnam bunker that they think the country is too. It’s their constant and often shrill refrain that if only those peacenik McGovern Democrats and the “liberal media” acknowledged that violence is down in Iraq — as indeed it is, substantially — voters will want to press on to “victory” and not “surrender.” And therefore go for Mr. McCain.
Read the whole thing to see why they won't.
Then discuss whatever you want -- it's the weekend open thread.
A Sunday post... Quite impressive.— shoeshineboy- the war was a lie from the beginning and never should have been ...........anyone who still thinks we should stay took too many drugs during the 60's..— yellowdog
- Even if you completely cede the arguement that the military side of the Iraq War is winning, the political side --- what the citizens of Iraq have to do internally to make their country function on their own --- is still a shambles. How long do we continue to wait before we see results? Just because the losses of life are "down", they still exist. And, as Will has stated, the economic cost has been enormous --- one is which I am completely unwilling to continue piling up for my children & grandchildren to pay off. If Obama can simplify the loan payment for the Iraq War to a ballpark "tax $$$ per citizen cost per year over 30 years (like a home mortgage)", the Americans, either unable to comprehend or just not closely following this part of the issue (most of them) will have a collective stroke.— yobill626
- How come Congresperson Schwartz of PA 13 voted to give Bush a blank check for Iraq - again?! She's supposed to be a Democrat. http://youngphillypolitics.com/joe_sestak_and_allyson_schwartz_vote_continue_war_unabated— georgedonnelly
george, mark these words, in four years hence the GOP will be running on a platform of getting us out of Iraq.- By "the war’s last cheerleaders" does he mean the Washington Post editorial board that had written recently that is is Obama with his head in the sand regarding progress in Iraq? Does he mean the NYT, who recently published a front page announcing that McCain has been right since the surge began, and great progress is being made. John McCain threw himself behind the surge and it has succeeded. We are winning this war. Had Obama been in charge this last year we would be witnessing chaos and genocide in the region rather than great progress. Thankfully, for all of us, John McCain has greater visions than Obama or Mr. Rich.— bon
- "Thankfully, for all of us, John McCain has greater visions than Obama or Mr. Rich."...said the blind man
"you’ll find a “McCain on Iraq Timeline” that conveniently begins in August 2003, months after “Mission Accomplished.”...."” Vanished into the memory hole are such earlier examples of the McCain Iraq wisdom as “the end is very much in sight” (April 9, 2003) and “there’s not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shiites” (later that same month)." “Because I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women.” [CNN, 9/24/02]... “We’re not going to get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad. We may have to take out buildings, but we’re not going to have a bloodletting of trading American bodies for Iraqi bodies.” [CNN, 9/29/02]... “But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” [MSNBC, 1/22/03]... “But I believe, Katie, that the Iraqi people will greet us as liberators.” [NBC, 3/20/03]... “It’s clear that the end is very much in sight.” [ABC, 4/9/03]... “There’s not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shiahs. So I think they can probably get along.” [MSNBC, 4/23/03]... — Talking point sleuth - "Thankfully, for all of us, John McCain has greater visions than Obama or Mr. Rich."...said the blind man
"you’ll find a “McCain on Iraq Timeline” that conveniently begins in August 2003, months after “Mission Accomplished.”...."” Vanished into the memory hole are such earlier examples of the McCain Iraq wisdom as “the end is very much in sight” (April 9, 2003) and “there’s not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shiites” (later that same month)." “Because I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women.” [CNN, 9/24/02]... “We’re not going to get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad. We may have to take out buildings, but we’re not going to have a bloodletting of trading American bodies for Iraqi bodies.” [CNN, 9/29/02]... “But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” [MSNBC, 1/22/03]... “But I believe, Katie, that the Iraqi people will greet us as liberators.” [NBC, 3/20/03]... “It’s clear that the end is very much in sight.” [ABC, 4/9/03]... — Talking point sleuth 
Comment removed.- Funny. Day after day batboy tells us how irrelevant he finds Attytood, as he reads it religiously and comments without fail. Logic? Batboy don't need no stinkin' logic.— Talking point sleuth
- Comment removed.
- You do not have to trust McCain if you do not want to, Talking point sleuth. McCain's position, that Iraq is seeing great progress, is backed up by every other source. (Unless you think the Washington Post and the NYT are conservative mouthpieces...?) Obama, who refuses to acknowledge the massive progress that is being made, is the one who is out of touch. McCain and the rest of us are quite well grounded in the facts on the ground.— bon
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- "...conditions have improved greatly under Patreus and that there's a good chance genocide would occur if we were to leave precipitously"..........................Then nothing has really improved, has it?
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About Will Bunch
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Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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