Good Ol' Fashioned Work

I don't envy the Democrats. True, they have the momentum on their side; and many have reflected on the fact that this should be a "Democrat" election year. Their opponent is McCain, a man that Republicans don't exactly love...and the Dems aren't running the stereo-type of an old white man.

Still, Democrat heroes have taken a stance that is difficult to actually rally people around. On at least two issues, Obama has positioned himself in the extreme left wing of his party (something that plays alright in primaries, but can be devastating in national elections). He considers having an unwanted child a punishment, so it is not surprising that he supports partial-birth abortion; and he maintains his claim that going to Iraq was a huge strategic blunder, and intends to draw down our presence there until we have essentially only enough support for our embassy.

Clinton is essentially in the same boat, except that (because of Obama's position on the war) she has to work hard to paint the war as a complete failure, since she originally supported it; her task is to suggest that what she envisioned and voted for was in no way akin to what has become reality. This means suggesting that our troops have failed, and telling the commander of our forces in Iraq that he is essentially lying to our government and our populace when he suggests that the surge has produced results and persistence is required.

The other Dems are, of course, following suit.

What I don't understand is why they are determined to push for an unreasonable result, when there is progress being made. If they hadn't married themselves to the bad idea of proclaiming the work in Iraq a failure before it was really begun, they could engage reasonably in a discussion about how to do it better. But they are now committed to the idea that Iraq is our new Vietnam, and are thus pursuing a course of action which, if it is voted into power in November, will ensure they are self-fulfilling prophets.

If we pull out of Iraq, Iraq will collapse. If we stay the course, Democracy might just survive and thrive in an area that has been opposed to Democracy since...forever.

This concept, of persisting even when a task is difficult, perhaps more difficult than we ever expected it to be, should not be as foreign as it appears to be to our leadership. Without endurance, no great accomplishment is ever achieved.

What Petraeus and Crocker make clear in their report is that the progress which has been made is still growing roots. We did not abandon our work in the midst of the worst turmoil...why should we pack up and go home now that we are finally seeing some fruit from our labor?

I do not envy the Dems...their success depends on convincing the majority of Americans that hard work doesn't pay-off...that great success shouldn't involve great risk. In a time of recession, I suspect more and more Americans will become aware that a real work ethic is invaluable...and is the only hope of producing lasting results.