The Dems truly are ignorant of the American mindset. They honestly believe “failure is an option” is now the core sense of America. Thankfully the country knows they are wrong. Sadly for their party the country knows they are wrong. The die are set and now fate is in charge. Unless Iraq becomes a disaster, the American people will remind Democrats that they did not run on surrender, but new avenues to success. They talked troop increases, they talked failed strategies, they talked increased international participation (like they could bring France and the UN into Iraq!). They talked and talked but never once said failure is not just an option, but preferred.

The silliness in their lame political statements enshrined in the war funding Bill now past the House and The Senate on the thinnest of margins and completely along partisan lines, is obvious to all. As others have remarked, if you have determined the time for us to surrender, why would we let one more soldier die or become maimed waiting for March or August of next year? If we are going to run away no matter what, then we should leave now. And that means, instead of playing at general, the Congress should defund the war. Who is going to explain to the families of those injured and killed from today on why they waited to surrender Iraq to al Qaeda?

Why provide the funds for this year and the Surge, go out of their way to save America’s spinach, but signal to our enemies feel free to kill our people until next year? The Democrats are a truly delusional lot. They honestly believe this worst-of-all-options is a crowning ahievement. Yes, it is absolutely the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Yes, it is going to cost needless lives and hardship. And yes, it is not only an attempt to lose to terrorism, but to signal to the world America prefers to lose than take on any serious challenges. They are trying to label all of us as losers and quitters and whiners. And they think this will make us proud??

I am confident America is not willing to sign up to this disaster. Either be in Iraq to win or stop the bleeding. Don’t signal pending retreat as we send more people to Iraq and to the front lines. If I am wrong about America it is irrelevant to the current situation. If I am right, the Democrats have succeeded in killing off their nascent opportunity to correct their abysmal national security image before the congressional Easter break. And they will not get a second chance in 2008. Next time, run on the platform that says ‘we want to fail’. Don’t give false impressions that establish the Dems are both defeatists AND liars.

Update: The Dems are getting it from left, right and center for their stubborn obessions. hammering them in an editorial saying Congress should not play Commander-in-Chief. Here is a former Joint Chief of Staff saying withdrawal is preferred, but never set a date a year out. Here is an article on how the faux withdrawal which is all smoke and mirrors and added danger to our troops. The ‘loop holes’ for the President to ignore are extensive:

First, to reverse the current surge the House bill requires the president to certify that every U.S. Army unit deploying to Iraq for a year-long tour of duty have a minimum of 365 days back home before deployment. (Marine units that deploy for seven months would have 210 days back home.)

In addition, units in Iraq could not be extended beyond their one year (or seven month) assignment. This might be an effective way to halt the surge, except for the fact that the bill also allows the president to waive these restrictions in the interest of “national security.” It’s likely that the president already believes that he is acting in the interest of national security, making these restrictions superfluous.

This game the Dems are playing is tragically transparent. They are lying to their base and confusing our allies and heartening our enemies. The only people cheering the Dems are our enemies and their enablers here in the West. Everyone else seems pretty fed up with them.