REALITY BITES

Guests in this week's Gang-up:
Frank Sesno, special correspondent, CNN
John Dickerson, chief political correspondent, Slate,Jeanne Cummings, The Wall Street Journal.

Just as we predicted, the Democrats once in power have started backtracking on Iraq. On the way to the elections their cut and run —“redeployment”—“Bush lied, people died”, Murtha-Dean-Michael Moore self-induced, propaganda caused apoplexia was kept unchecked. But now that they have a more direct share in the responsibility of power and the outcome of Iraq they are faced with a reality check: they have found out that it is not as easy to put your money where your mouth is. As the Spanish saying goes, “Una cosa es llamar al Diablo y otra cosa es verlo venir” (One thing is to call the Devil and another one is to see him coming toward you).

This week, after alerting us—“wake up, America, John McCain is bonkers”—“documentary” maker Michael More, the once honored guest at the last Democratic Party convention rotundly pronounced in his website:

“The responsibility to end this war now falls upon the Democrats. Congress controls the purse strings and the Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi now hold the power to put an end to this madness. Failure to do so will bring the wrath of the voters. We aren't kidding around, Democrats, and if you don't believe us, just go ahead and continue this war another month.”

In his open letter to the American people (eerily similar in tone and content with Iran’s president letter to the American people) titled “Cut and Run, the Only Brave Thing to Do” (really, this is the title) Mr. Moore then proceeds to give us his anti-bonkers plan:

“Bring the troops home now. Not six months from now. NOW. Quit looking for a way to win. We can't win. We've lost. Sometimes you lose. This is one of those times. Be brave and admit it.”

Ironically his letter includes a photo of defeated WWII tyrants as examples fast victories in contrast to a victory in Iraq. Yet, he fails to mention that none of them were defeated by following a “cut and run” policy. And in none of the defeated countries were we welcome as occupiers either, the only difference is that when we occupied those countries we occupied those countries (not half-way occupations), not “cut and run” out of them, nor did we follow time tables of so-called “exit strategies”.

But the issue is not Mr. Moore but what he has represented all along, the relatively small but very strident, sophomoric wing of the Democratic Party and the mostly emotional and highly irrational paradigms for opposing the intervention in Iraq. This same segment of the population which thought it could overthrow Sen. Lieberman, quicker than Saddam was overthrown, by intervening in the elections of a state via the internet has now to face reality. It will be easier for the US to extricate itself from Iraq than for the Democratic Party leadership to do so from its previous positions, or for the “hate Bush at any cost" crowd to have a final say in the new “conservative” Democratic Party.

After trying the Vietnam syndrome unsuccessfully the liberal media (that is, most of the media) is now trying the civil war syndrome. Will it work? They surely hope so, although so far, looking at statements from Democrat leaders and unofficial presidential forerunners the misnomer “war on terror” still prevails.

“House Speaker to be” Pelosi has already caved on Murtha and Hastings, beginning a process of dissociation from the “cut and runners”. And just this week she has agreed with President Bush’s long held position that Iraq is the actual physical battleground against al-Qaeda. Now the Democrats, having voted for the war and then doing everything possible to oppose it for partisan interest, find that the intervention in Iraq has also become the battle ground for moderation.

In a recent list of twenty options for presidential candidates given to the American public for the next elections John Kerry came in last. The process of canonization of Sen. Obama as a moderate is only part of the process and part of the race to watch between him and Saint Hillary for the crown of centrism and moderation. Meanwhile the Clinton camp has already called for the head of Howard Dean. All put together it looks like the Democrat leadership is really listening to the American people. Now reality bites.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=202