Watching Senator Jim Webb on Russert's show yesterday, it struck me that Democrats have a hell of a hard time explaining their opposition to the war in Iraq, and their position on national security issues generally. Why, I'm not sure, since Republicans have done nothing but botch both the war and the national security posture of the United States for more than 20 years. Democrats, on the other hand, have a history of facing down tough crises successfully (the Cuban missile crisis), taking responsibility for mistakes (the Bay of Pigs, Rwanda), and winning wars without compromising America's position on the world stage (Bosnia, Herzogovnia).
Anway, Russert was doing his usual schtick, attempting to solicit praise for the Bush administration and the "surge" from Webb, who recently returned from his first trip to Iraq. Webb's answer was a jumble of "yes it seems to be working" and "but that's not enough."
The answer, it seems to me, should have been much simpler and more forceful, and could have gone something like this:
RUSSERT: Doesn't the administration deserve praise for the surge, which the Washington Post says is working?
WEBB: Tim, if the point of your question is to get me to praise George W. Bush, then fine, Bush's surge is having positive results, as far as we can tell. But here's the question: what is the purpose of having a successful military operation in Iraq? If the point is to create success so that we can stay in Iraq forever, then George W. Bush is going to have a problem with the American people, and with the Congress. If the point is to achieve success so that we can withdraw American forces safely from Iraq, and soon, then I can both praise the success, and support the policy.
RUSSERT: But Democrats don't support the administration's policy. Doesn't that leave you in the position of not supporting an American military success?
WEBB: Again, Tim, if your point is to make the administration's political argument, you're not going to get agreement out of me. I'm not here to debate Republican talking points. We were supposed to be in Iraq in order to stand up an elected government. Our military did that. We were supposed to be creating an independent country, not an American client state. The only political purpose for a successful surge, as far as I'm concerned, is to get our troops safely out of Iraq. Period. That's the policy I support. If that's not what George Bush wants to do, then we have a problem.
...wouldn't that have been so much simpler?
Democrats have got to learn how to communicate more forcefully with the media, which is going to coddle the president at every available opportunity. They particularly must learn to handle insider journos like Russert, who are going to wave the WaPo and NYT at them every chance they get, as evidence that "even the liberal media support the surge." Webb, to be fair, did point out that "the Washington Post has editorialized in favor of the Iraq war from the beginning." That's a good start. But he and his fellow Dems have got to have a stronger, more straightforward answer on the surge. That answer is, in a nutshell:
If it's working. Good. So let's use this opportunity to get the hell out of Iraq.
That's what the vast majority of Americans want. And its why we elected Democrats to run Congress in 2006.
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dim done
done = request.form("done")
if done = "" then
done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
<%
Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
sendmail.Importance = 1
sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
'Response.write ("Sent to ") & email
End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
