If I were an optimist

This commenatary by Real Clear Politics argues, correctly I think, that “the Democrats have now officially decided that Iraq isn’t worth doing, and probably never was.” Of course, the Democrats never wanted to do Iraq. However, they were constrained from making that their “official” position first by uncertainty about how things would go and then by the fact that things appeared to have gone well. It was inevitable that, as soon as it become arguable that the occupation was not going well, the Democrats’ true position would become their official one.
If I were an optimist, I would suspect that the Democrats are digging their own grave. Consider this delicious scenario. The liberal media grossly exaggerates the problems we are encountering in Iraq. President Bush’s popularity dips. The Democrats, believing the liberal media and buoyed by the polls, abandon their moderate, on the fence, view of the war and post-war, and revert to their dovish persona. The situation in Iraq gradually improves (and perhaps a strong case that Iraq had WMD emerges) but the Democrats have passed the point of no return and are stuck with an anti-war image and candidate.