June 16, 2006
This is very good news...
Leftists tend to picture America as a warmonger, but in fact our main problem in the WOT is that, like any democracy, we have no enthusiasm for long frustrating campaigns in distant lands. (Which is one of the reasons the terrorists fight the way they do.) Our problem is that we are NOT warmongers, so only self-discipline can enable us to stay the course. From the LAT:
The Iraq war is the most immediate foreign policy problem besetting the Bush administration. But as a political issue, the White House and top Republican strategists have concluded that the war is a clear winner.
GOP officials intend to base the midterm election campaign partly on talking up the war, using speeches and events to contrast President Bush's policies against growing disagreement among leading Democrats over whether to support immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops...
The job of a politician is to both lead and follow. They must both follow the wishes of the voters, but also, especially in grave issues of war and peace, provide clear leadership and ask the voters for their support. I had started to wonder about the Republicans, so I find all this to be very good news indeed.
....Republican lawmakers and strategists said Wednesday that the campaign to frame the Iraq debate would play out over the summer and into the fall, focusing on battleground congressional districts and states with competitive Senate races.
Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman has already sent an e-mail to 15 million supporters asking them to reject "craven, politically motivated demands for instant withdrawal."....
Notice, friends, that there's no "October surprise," no need to be sneaky. The plan is announced. Having "nothing to hide" is the best secret strategy of all. Pure Rove. Thank you Karl.
...Officially, the House debate will be the first time the chamber has argued the pros and cons of the invasion and occupation of Iraq since the war began more than three years ago. But Democrats, who have repeatedly called for debate on the war, have denounced this week's events as little more than a political trap to embarrass them and force acquiescence with the administration's policy...
Whereas the pathetic puke-worthy Democrats have to scurry away from their own strategy, not to mention the Republican strategy. The "calling for a debate" scam is the same silly thing they did in 2003. If you want to debate, turkeys, start a debate! No one is stopping you. You can introduce your own resolutions, you can say whatever you like.
Posted by John Weidner at June 16, 2006 06:19 AMI was listening to Randi Rhodes on Air America a little yesterday, and she was ripping on some junior Republican congressman, saying, "here's the talking points Rove put out: [insert talking points]. Now here's this guy's speech: [insert speech which directly mirrors talking points]."
And I thought, this is a bad thing? The Republicans have a coherent message, which voters can either accept or reject. But the Democrats - if you're a democratic voter, before deciding who to vote for, you have to figure out what the hell the party will do if elected. There's no coherence, there's no way to demand anything of your choice via your vote - voting on policy is utterly impossible.
This kind of coherence, for voters interested primarily in national policy, seems to me to be the single most enfranchising thing the Republicans can do. And they've done it consistently since 2002. Congress voted on Iraq in October 2002, a month before the elections. In 2004, Bush clearly said what he'd do in Iraq, all through the campaign. And each time, voters got to know what they were voting for. And God love 'em, looks like the Republicans will do the same thing this time.
Posted by: Ethan Hahn at June 16, 2006 09:59 AM
