Iraq And the Democrat Party: What Comes Next?

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal the other day, and it made some good points.  Ultimately, it suggested (as many others have) that 6 years after the debate to invade Iraq began, it’s more important to focus on how to end the war rather than how it started.

So says Scott, at Flopping Aces. I’m not fully convinced. Focusing on how to end the war without remembering the purpose for it is the best way I can think of to lose the thing. And I can’t help but think that is the kind of non-thinking we’re seeing from so much of the left these days.

Republican and Presidential leaders all agree that it’d be best to leave Iraq in a setting where Iraq was secure enough so a 3rd invasion wouldn’t be needed, and in a manner in which the Iraqis were allies in the war on terror.  Both conditions are in the process of happening, and all Americans-Republicans and Democrats-should be awestruck and proud of the efforts made by millions of Americans and Iraqis to make that happen.  They’ve seen the evil that men can do, stood up, confronted it, and are succeeding.

It strikes me, Scott, that the first part of the issue of confronting evil is it’s willing identification. The lack of that willingness, on the part of something less than 50% of the American public; mostly members of the Democrat party,  is why the rest of your post is even in play. That said;

I think the article stopped one step short, however.  The piece focused on the national security and international effect of success in Iraq, but I wonder-as I have for years now-what will unite the Democratic Party and rally the left once President Bush is gone, and American forces withdraw from Iraq?

Well, if we may take the current goings on as any indication, I think the answer is clearly “not much”.  Certainly, the leftie blogs are indicative of this. We’ve seen some circling of the Wagons around Obama, but so too, have we seen a lot of breaking away, and folks as yet unwilling to jump on board with him.  We blogged a few of these last night. I’m sure more of these will come up, going forward.

As best I can tell, the Democrats being as split as they are is the best hope the Iraqis have.