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But if Iraq gets significantly worse, if a wider conflict, perhaps with Iran, erupts in the Middle East, and, most important of all, if the soaring federal deficit triggers a precipitous collapse of the dollar and flight of international central banks out of U.S. Treasury bonds, then having a focused, angry aggressive message is exactly what the Democrats will need in the campaign of 2006.

Good Lord, what is this, an open admission that what's bad for the United States is good for the Democrats? Didn't they learn from the last election that this just isn't a winning ticket?

I look at it another way - Hill wants someone in place to take the rap for an anticipated Dem debacle in 2006, after which she will be in a position to put her own people there without opposition. Dean's a sacrificial goat.

Didn't they learn from the last election that this just isn't a winning ticket?

They are controlled by the left wing liberal kooks and there are too many of them. They cannot overcome them, period. It is over for the liberal democart party, it is over.

?T?��?a?�t's been their game plan since 2000. Give Bill Clinton this... he could sling some sh_t... these guys just sh_t their pants!

If Republicans continue to pick up seats in 2006, Dean will be blamed and Hillary will 'seemingly' move towards the center. The press will be with her all the way.

Ultimately, if Republicans select a poor choice in 2008, Hillary can win... simple as that!

I see the Iraq question vs. the 2008 election somewhat differently. The voters did decide, on balance, to support Bush on Iraq in 2004, but that support will not last forever.

In my opinion, the Iraqis must have an effective army by 11/2008, or Hillary will probably win. I do not see the Repubs winning another election with US soldiers patrolling the streets of Baghdad and Mosul.

I think it will be OK if we are there, securing the borders against invasion for them, preventing infiltration, that kind of thing. Going in to provide some backup in the event of an intense insurgent push somewhere.

But we are going to have to retreat behind a screen of effective Iraqi troops by 11/2008 or the Repubs lose the election, in my opinion.

This will be difficult to do for one reason: the Iraqi gov't has so far lacked the political will to replace mediocre officers in the high levels of command with quality ones. The quality lower ranking officers are available. Through training the Iraqi troops, the US troops have learned who they are. But the Iraqi gov't is "sovereign," so we cannot appoint the officers we want. This information comes from the article "Change of Command: Marine Captain Trains Iraqi Colonel to Take Over Fight," in the Wall Street Journal, p. 1, February 24, 2005.