Democrats: Iraqi Troop Buildup a Failure
WASHINGTON — One year after President Bush announced his politically unpopular plan to send thousands more troops to Iraq, Democrats are struggling to counter the administration’s argument that the buildup succeeded.
Democrats are so wedded to the notion of defeat for George Bush in Iraq, that they cannot even admit the obvious. The troop surge, by every measure, has been a resounding success. Sure, individual Democrats have seen the success for themselves and acknowledged it. The party base and leaders, that’s another story. Victor Davis Hanson told us Sunday evening that what Gen. Petreaus has done is one of the greatest turnarounds in American military history.
Today, the so-called leaders of the Democrat Party look away from great American success in Iraq to search for petty political points. If they can’t feel good about the success of the surge, is there anything this country does that they do feel good about?
They went “all in” hoping for a bitter Iraq defeat, and they can barely hide their resentment at the turnaround. Before, it was the violence. Now, it is political progress they cite. Is there any doubt that the goalposts will change yet again, always looking for the angle to portray our country, and her accomplishments, in the most negative light?
Who feels good about supporting a political party that sees no good in their own country’s achievements? Who feels good about a party more motivated by the prospect of defeat than the prospect of victory?
Listen to them talk about the economy, or America’s standing in the world. Democrats are a negative, miserable lot. They are the party of “no we can’t” not “yes we can”. Sorry Barack, but its true.
The essential character trait of the modern day Democrat is pessimism about America’s future. Good luck with that this November.
UPDATE: McCain and Joe Lieberman have an op-ed today in the WSJ titled The Surge Worked
Every American should feel a debt of gratitude to Gen. Petraeus and the great American troops fighting under him for us. This gratitude is due not simply for the extraordinary progress they have accomplished in Iraq, but for what they have taught us about ourselves.
If the mismanagement of the Iraq war from 2003 to 2006 exposed our government’s capacity for incompetence, Gen. Petraeus’ leadership this past year, and the conduct of the troops under his command, have reminded us of our capacity for the wisdom, the courage and the leadership that has always rallied our nation to greatness.
As Americans, we have repeatedly done what others said was impossible. Gen. Petraeus and his troops are doing that again in Iraq today.
The war for Iraq is not over. The gains we have made can be lost. But thanks to the courage of our troops, the skill and intellect of their battlefield commander, and the steadfastness of our commander in chief, we have at last begun to see the contours of what must remain our objective in this long, hard and absolutely necessary war — victory.
Mr. McCain is a Republican senator from Arizona. Mr. Lieberman is an Independent Democratic senator from Connecticut.