California Conservative

According to the Washington Times’ Don Lambro, Congressional Democrats are uncertain of what troop withdrawal policy to support.

Here’s the most revealing quote from Lambro’s story:

Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, had suggested last week that “at the right time, we will have a position” on Iraq.

Rahm, this thing’s been going on for nearly 3 years. Don’t you think you should already have come to some “position” already? Or is it that you’ve got to first consult a dozen pollsters, talk to your political consultants on which would make the best commercials, then tentatively choose which one to lead with and which strategy might make for the best backup plan?

To be fair, Rahm’s caught in an aweful position because the Cindy Sheehan/Michael Moore/Howard Dean wing of the party will guaranteedly clash with the Joe Lieberman ‘Win at all costs’ wing and John Murtha ‘Win at all costs except if we retreat’ wing of the party. Rahm must know that trying to keep all three wings of the party is virtually impossible. For no other reason, that’s why I almost pity him. Almost.

When a group of Democratic war critics last week proposed an amendment in the Senate suggesting such a timetable, Sen. Joe Lieberman, (D-CT), spoke out against the move. “I feel [it] will discourage our troops in the field, will encourage the terrorists and confuse the Iraqis,” Mr. Lieberman said.

That’s my guy Joe. He isn’t the greatest orator ever but he’s one Democrat that I can listen to and respect.

On the other hand, there’s news out of Iraq today that might help Democrats finish debate on the war in Iraq:

U.S. forces sealed off a house in the northern city of Mosul where eight suspected al-Qaida members died in a gunfight, some by their own hand to avoid capture. A U.S. official said Sunday that efforts were under way to determine if terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was among the dead. Insurgents, meanwhile, killed an American soldier and a Marine in separate attacks over the weekend, while a British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in the south.
In Washington, a U.S. official said the identities of the terror suspects killed in the Saturday raid was unknown. Asked if they could include al-Zarqawi, the official replied: “There are efforts under way to determine if he was killed.”

It would be great news if Zarqawi was killed but it’s great news either way because another 8 insurgents met their maker today. Could Mr. Murtha possibly be wrong that the military can’t win this war?

During the intense gun battle that followed, three insurgents detonated explosives and killed themselves to avoid capture, Iraqi officials said. Eleven Americans were wounded, the U.S. military said. Such intense resistance often suggests an attempt to defend a high-value target. American soldiers controlled the site Sunday, and residents said helicopters flew over the area throughout the day. Some residents said the tight security was reminiscent of the July 2003 operation in which Saddam Hussein’s sons, Odai and Qusai, were killed in Mosul.

I’ll remain skeptical of this news until it’s confirmed by the Pentagon but I think it’s telling that “Some residents said the tight security was reminiscent of the July 2003 operation in which Saddam Hussein’s sons, Odai and Qusai, were killed in Mosul.” That is the way security was the day Odai and Qusai were killed in a gunfight.

If the public hears of Zarqawi’s death and there’s sustained improvement in Iraq, public opinion will change dramatically. If that’s the case, I suspect that alot of Democrats will start distancing themselves from the “immediate withdrawal” talk that’s currently sweeping congressional Democrats.

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRing

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 20th, 2005 at 4:02 pm and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Elections, Foreign Policy, Iraq, Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.