The Stab That Failed

The Weekly Standard ^ | 12/03/2007 | Noemie Emery

[krogers58]

Eagerly anticipating the defeat in Iraq to which they are so much attached, some on the left have also been preparing for another contingency: the assault that they think they see coming, a drive to pin the whole wretched failure on them. Apparently, this will be "stab in the back" redux, a new iteration of the theme deployed so successfully in interwar Germany by a resourceful, ambitious Austrian corporal, who managed to propel his rise to power with the claim that World War I would have been won by his country, if not for sinister forces at home. Then, it was subversion by Jews and other disloyal elements. This time, in the left's imagining, the blame will fall on the press and the Democrats who, by pulling the plug at just the wrong moment, caused the loss of Iraq. "Nobody I know in a rational condition believes that the United States is going to have any kind of a military victory," Mark Shields said in August. "So the idea is going to be, 'We were on the cusp of victory and the rug was pulled out from under us by these willy-nilly, weak-kneed, nervous Nellies back home.' "

The problem with this is (1) that we may really win, and have no failure to blame upon anyone, and (2) that the nervous Nellies really did try to keep us from winning, indeed fought fang and claw to derail our best efforts. If they had had their way, Iraq would still be the quagmire they are so fond of invoking, and the United States--or George W. Bush, which may be the more relevant factor--would have incurred a definitive and, at least in his case, legacy-blasting defeat. It is unfair of course to call this a stab in the back, as the Democrats have been engagingly open about their intentions. In the course of the past year, they have gone from attacking a plan that had not been effective to attacking one that hadn't been tried yet, to attacking one that exceeded all expectations, while in the process ignoring reality, slandering a commanding general, and denying American forces in battle due credit for what they had done. If not backstabbing as such (see above), it is diverting enough a spectacle to merit a replay. Let us look back at this last year of battle and see how the story played out.

[billmor]

That’s good enough for me too....good post, Thank you

[Mr. Silverback]

Thank you!

[ChessExpert]

Thanks for posting this excerpt. Maybe the moderator can add “(Excerpt) Read more at”

It is worthwhile to read the entire article. It is an excellent summary of the Democratic party’s year long effort to stop the military surge that is winning the war against Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

Al Qaeda had major allies that they hoped would save them, the Democratic party and the American press. This article addresses the Democratic party’s efforts to stop or sabotage the surge. It provides quotes from Reid, Pelosi, Durbin, Kennedy, Murtha, Schumer, Dodd, Levin, Feinstein, Webb, and Obey.

The Democrats tried but failed to save Al Qaeda and bring defeat to America. But let’s not declare victory yet. This is the same party that gave much of eastern Europe to the Russia after World War II, gave China to the communists, gave Vietnam and Cambodia to the communists after our military had secured peace with honor, and gave Iran to Islamic supremacists. The President and Congress of 2008 can still betray our allies and reward our enemies.