Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Iraq War Loss is Democrats' Gain

In his piece titled “The 2008 Election is the Democrats' to Lose,” Washington political guru Stu Rothenberg makes the point that Iraq will help Democrats capture the White House next year:

[Even a] dramatic improvement in Bush's standing in national polls . . . wouldn't erase all the baggage that the president and his party have picked up. . . [g]iven that few people believe that U.S. forces will be entirely out of Iraq by 2008. . .


Democrats really, really know how a bad war can sink a party. Vietnam turned America in 1968 from a Democratic-dominated nation to one where Republicans held the White House for all but 12 of the next 40 years. Americans don’t like to lose wars. But for the party that's not responsible, a losing war can be a big winner.

Democrats don't believe Iraq’s the central issue facing America. Yet Iraq is the central issue Democrats will use to separate Republicans from the White House.

No comments: