An Unpopular War

Cindy Sheehan, the woman who lost her son in Iraq and had been camping out in front of George W. Bush's Texas ranch, certainly drew a lot of publicity for the antiwar movement. And though she had to return home to be with her ailing mother, Bush is still generating harsh criticism for his mishandling of the war. No less an authority than Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), a Vietnam veteran, has suggested that we're entering a Vietnam-like quagmire and that we'd better find a way out soon. Bush's response is to keep pretending he hasn't made any mistakes and that everything is going to plan, as he'll demonstrate in a planned five-day tour to shore up support for a war that has already been lost.

The Democrats are hardly in a position to lick their chops in advance of the 2006 midterms, though. Some Democrats voted for giving Bush the authority to invade Iraq, albeit under false pretenses (the media won't mention that part!), while Democrats who never supported Bush's military policy will have to explain how Iraq and the Middle East would have been better off with Saddam Hussein still around. It's a quandry that Karl Rove is certain to exploit masterfully.