The Discerning Texan
All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.
-- Edmund Burke
-- Edmund Burke
Friday, November 23, 2007
State of Denial
Charles Krauthammer marvels at the absence of big media in reporting the remarkable turnaround in Iraq. It is worse than irresponsible; it is an abomination:
Let's face it, the Democrats went "all in" on an American defeat when they took the majority in January. Back at that time, things did look bleak, and the surge was a huge gamble for Bush. If it had failed it could have resulted in monumental losses for the Republicans next year. But it did not fail. And now the Democrats' intransigence has turned out to be a horrendous miscalculation for them. We are going to win in Iraq; and the Dems can't stand it.
Once upon a time, partisan bickering ended at the water's edge. But to today's Democrat party, America's success abroad is their defeat. And that, quite frankly, is a disgrace.
It does not have the drama of the Inchon landing or the sweep of the Union comeback in the summer of 1864. But the turnabout of American fortunes in Iraq over the past several months is of equal moment -- a war seemingly lost, now winnable. The violence in Iraq has been dramatically reduced. Political allegiances have been radically reversed. The revival of ordinary life in many cities is palpable. Something important is happening.And exactly what benchmarks has the United States Congress achieved in its own country. Nada. Nothing, except to make the job more difficult for our men and women overseas. Which makes their achievement even more remarkable.
And what is the reaction of the war critics? Nancy Pelosi stoutly maintains her state of denial, saying this about the war just two weeks ago: "This is not working. . . . We must reverse it." A euphemism for "abandon the field," which is what every Democratic presidential candidate is promising, with variations only in how precipitous to make the retreat.
How do they avoid acknowledging the realities on the ground? By asserting that we have not achieved political benchmarks -- mostly legislative actions by the Baghdad government -- that were set months ago. And that these benchmarks are paramount. And that all the current progress is ultimately vitiated by the absence of centrally legislated national reconciliation.
Let's face it, the Democrats went "all in" on an American defeat when they took the majority in January. Back at that time, things did look bleak, and the surge was a huge gamble for Bush. If it had failed it could have resulted in monumental losses for the Republicans next year. But it did not fail. And now the Democrats' intransigence has turned out to be a horrendous miscalculation for them. We are going to win in Iraq; and the Dems can't stand it.
Once upon a time, partisan bickering ended at the water's edge. But to today's Democrat party, America's success abroad is their defeat. And that, quite frankly, is a disgrace.
