…or worse. But now it’s the official position of the Democratic Party:
In an interview with WOAI radio in San Antonio Monday, [Howard Dean], the head of the Democratic Party, drew a parallel between efforts to hand over security responsibilities to Iraqis and similar efforts during the Vietnam War to the South Vietnamese.
That side ultimately lost the war.
“Of course, the South Vietnamese couldn’t manage to support their own country,” Dean said. “I do not believe in making the same mistake twice. And America appears to have made the same mistake twice.”
Dean said he wished President Bush “had paid more attention to the history of Iraq before we had gotten in there.”
“The idea that we are going to win this war is an idea that unfortunately is just plain wrong,” he said.
Calling President Bush’s plan in Iraq a “failed strategy, Dean said he and most Democrats support bringing home an estimated 80,000 National Guard and reserve troops within the next six months.
So it’s official: the Democratic Party thinks our troops are going to lose the war in Iraq. Dean offers a uniquely foolish bit of strategic advice:
He said that he backed the redeployment of 20,000 troops to Afghanistan and a force in the Middle East to deal with al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but not in Iraq.
Great idea! Only, how exactly are we going to “deal with al Zarqawi” and his organization without being in Iraq? Maybe the Democrats think we can subpoena him to come to Turkey or Jordan.
President Bush chided Dean gently for his defeatism:
“Oh, there’s pessimists, you know, and politicians who try to score points. but our strategy is one that will lead us to victory,” Bush said when asked about Dean’s remarks.
It will be interesting to see whether other Democrats try to distance themselves from Dean. Frankly, I doubt that most will bother. The truth is that most antiwar Democrats not only believe we can’t win in Iraq, they hope we don’t win. They care more about scoring political points against the Bush administration than they do about the freedom of the Iraqi people or about America’s national security. So my guess is that they will see little to criticize in Dean’s latest outrage.
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