Democrats top issue after Repubs win in Iraq?

[ramapo]

Thom Hartmann today outlined a very probable Republican strategy to win in 2008.

Just like Nixon was so very successful manipulating the Vietnam War, Bush has masterfully prolonged our presence in Iraq long enough to enable Republicans to orchestrate a partial withdrawal over the next year or so (beginning this fall) and then declare victory in October '08. Who knows, maybe they'll snatch up OBL for icing on the cake.

Presto, Republicans have won the war, brought home troops, kept us safe from terrorism, funded the military-corporate-industrial complex with trillions of dollars, and set the stage for sweeping electoral victory. The troops will of course be replaced with additional private forces supplied through the new corporate military and the occupation will continue.

Couple this with, thanks to this week's decision by the Supremes, huge propaganda campaigns waged by corporate republican sponsors in the health care, pharma, and financial sectors and it is not far fetched to think that Democrats will be left looking like fools.

Don't think Americans would fall for such blatant manipulation? Of course they would, just as they have so many times.

Issues like the environment, jobs, outsourcing/offshoring, health care, global warming, insurance, civil liberties, and the like are quickly forgotten by the electorate when subjected to a masterful (dis)information campaign around terror, taxes, and democratic socialism.

If Democrats were smart, they'd ratchet down the focus on Iraq and make sure that their campaign (no matter who is the nominee) has a sustainable issue base. What are the chances of that happening?

[Raven]

1. Nope. There is going to be a bloodbath in Iraq, no way around it

and neither Bush or the Republicans want to own that, especially Bush. He will keep this war going until he is out of office. He doesn't give a shit about the fortunes of his republican colleagues. He cares only about his sick "legacy". So I'm thinking that republicans like John Sununu here in NH will panic pretty soon and join the small chorus of republicans calling for some form of a withdrawal because he is in big trouble with voters up here. The Republicans will try to withdraw as few troops as possible to stave off the chaos that will ensue when we're gone. The Dems have to hold the line and insist that all troops be removed. The sad fact is that there is nothing we can do about staving off a bloodbath in Iraq short of staying there forever. Bush opened Pandora's Box when he invaided Iraq.

[endarkenment]

2. bullshit.

That theory (the iraq victory theory) depends on the establishment of stability that would permit a withdrawal that would not immediately collapse the nominal government of Iraq. Not going to happen. OBL on Ice has always been a possibility.