As the campaign winds down in to the final week, we’re going to hear more and more of the standard talking point about Democrats cutting and running, or “losing” in Iraq. Even if the Democrats win the House and/or Senate next week, the unwarranted vilification from the Republicans — and possibly from even a few of the Democrats — for those who want to withdraw troops from Iraq will continue at a high volume for the two months before a new Congress convenes and probably for months after.
There’s a simple, easy answer to that charge, though, and it’s one that ought to be on the lips of everyone who opposes the Administration’s policy in Iraq: The Democrats can’t lose the Iraq war, because the Republicans have already lost it.
Any slim chance the Bush Administration had to create a stable Iraq is long gone. None of the lofty goals floated for the war have been achieved. The war in Iraq has lasted nearly as long as the US involvement in World War II, during which time the US retook the Pacific from the Japanese, and defeated the Germans in North Africa and Europe. No more putting to try to get the ball in the hole. Game over.