Democrats Rise From the Dead

Posted on November 17, 2005

Now that a majority of Americans believe that a) going to war in Iraq was a mistake; b) President Bush is not honest and c) there should be a bipartisan investigation into Plamegate, the Democrats have finally stop being so terrified of Dick Cheney. In fact, bolstered by Bush's sagging poll numbers, quite a few of them have found their voices. When Dick Cheney launched his campaign-style attack against war critics in a speech he gave at a dinner last night, no doubt the White House expected Senate Democrats to run back into their spider holes and issue apolgies for having questioned the war. It didn't happen.

In an interesting inteview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN today, John Kerry responded to Cheney's assertions that anyone who dares to question the war is putting the troops in harm's way. Kerry totally rejected Cheney's rhetoric, noting that it is this administration who is putting our troops in harm's way by 1) misleading the country into war by claiming Saddam had WMD when he did not and the White House had been told in three different reports that he did not have WMD and concealing those reports from the Senate so they would vote to give Bush power to go to war; 2) failing to provide body armor and armored humvees for the troops; and 3) failing to have any kind of exit strategy.

The White House is using the same playbook -- the Karl Rove Special. When attacked, try to attack your opponents by saying they did what you are being accused of (see, Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth"). But the game has changed quite a bit since the last presidential campaign. Troops are dying. Jordan was attacked by Iraqis who are mad about the occupation. The Iraqi insurgency is growing; the military missteps we made at the start of the war have infuriated Iraqis who see us as occupiers not liberators. The American people don't trust the president. That is why the Karl Rove Special isn't working this time around. The more the White House says things are great in Iraq, the more out of touch they look. And the more Democrats, Independents and moderate Republicans are being brave enough to take a stand against this administration's failed foreign policies.