Long Ladder Futures Hot
UPDATE: Kevin Drum and Spencer Ackerman, absolutely right except where they’re entirely wrong.
Says Captain Ed, citing a Washington Times article on the Vietnam fears of Iraqis who have worked with us and for us.
I’m an eternal optimist, but I think developments such as the encirclement and capitulation of Congress and a relatively muted response to Bush’s “South Korea” comparison suggest a sense of reality may be setting in, bids to the hard left by Democratic primary candidates not withstanding. The Congressional leadership is signalling it wants to keep sniping over the summer, though Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, who introduced one of the withdrawal measures, notes:
“Votes for the sake of having votes doesn’t really help us. What we need are votes that show we are gaining in strength.”
Pay Buchanan, somewhat bitterly, nails it. Forget the courage of their convictions, they lack the convictions, and would rather say “I told you so” than end up on the wrong end of history. Again. That could all change if a Congressional majority is joined by a Democratic president in January 2009, but that is a long time away.
Here’s something interesting. 82 percent of Americans see Iran as unfriendly or an enemy, compared to 73 percent on North Korea. Are they going to want to cede ground to Iran. Only 54 percent on Syria and 40 percent on Venezuela. Geez, what do they need, flashing neon lights and a chorus line?
Iran is doing nothing to improve its image in the United States, and by participating in talks, is in fact positioning itself publicly as a principal in the Iraq conflict, with a responsibility to help end it, and as an obstacle to its resolution. Democrats, if they keep pushing for abandonment, will find themselves in the same position.
Speaking of Iran talk, here’s more on that. And speaking of campaigns, here’s some speculation on whether GOP candidates will turn aggressively on Bush.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:32 am on Monday, June 4, 2007
One Response to “Long Ladder Futures Hot”
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June 5th, 2007 at 3:10 am
I don’t mind if the candidates go after Bush, in fact, I think it is imperative that they do; it all depends on what they have to say, however.