To say a news item is “big” can often be a cliche, but I think it’s appropriate in this case: Baathists ‘disown al-Qaeda’ The leader of Iraq’s banned Baath party, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has decided to join efforts by the

So your point is valid on all topics if we are complacent.

And we have a winner!

The American people ARE complacent.

So your point is valid on all topics if we are complacent.

“Democratic leaders in Congress had planned to use August recess to raise the heat on Republicans to break with President Bush on the Iraq war. Instead, Democrats have been forced to recalibrate their own message in the face of recent…

No argument there at all.

They were sucessful none the less, which is the point.

Somehow Vietnam is lied about successfully….

Ask Bang..

I don’t see anybody doing anything wrong here other than being hopeful with reasons to be because of some interim articles from people who have visited Iraq.

No, there’s is nothing wrong with being hopeful at all Bak. Hell bro- I’m hopeful it will be sucessful and continue to be sucessful. If it isn’t, then I think we need to work until it is sucessful.

But it is a dangerous ploy that the Republicans are playing none the less. But if they paint things as being too rosey and that assessment is turned on them by the Democrats before the elecections, they will lose in ‘08. They’ve been burnt by the Dems on several occasions (re: “Mission Accimplished”, “Dead Enders”, etc) and it bit them in the butt by help fueling the anti-war sentiment. They won’t have the chance to work until it is sucessful if this happens, not for a long, long time.

Americans DO have a short memory. Do you remember TIS the House Banking scandal during the 40 year reign of Democrats (1991). Unbelievable brazen check kiting almost 95% by Democrat house members. I thought back then that Democrats would lose power and not gain it for 40 years.

Yes, Americans have a short memory. The Democrat fueled “daily scandal” campaign of the ‘06 elections are pretty much already forgotten. But we are talking about war and American lives which seems tobe the exception. America seems to have yet forget Viet Nam- the memory is much more long term it seems.

I think those of us who are looking for success in Iraq are doing a BETTER job at being objective. We recognize the negatives of Iraq and “await” the progress report from Petraeus with HOPE that it reports surge success. We ALREADY see signs of success because of some interim reports from people who just made a NY Times article and did you see the Spiegel article that was lengthy.. and then there is Michael Yon’s reporting..

I don’t see anybody doing anything wrong here other than being hopeful with reasons to be because of some interim articles from people who have visited Iraq.

Given my assessment – I still don’t see what it is you are saying to be true.

Democrats interim success is very temporary and based on deaths. Americans DO have a short memory. Do you remember TIS the House Banking scandal during the 40 year reign of Democrats (1991). Unbelievable brazen check kiting almost 95% by Democrat house members. I thought back then that Democrats would lose power and not gain it for 40 years.

What I mean by the Republicans putting all thier eggs in one basket was that the War in Iraq will be the defining issue for the 2008 elections and the fact that it seems they are already touting Patraeus’ report as portaying being positive it is going to define said issue. The Republicans have (to use another cliche) put the horse before the cart on other occasions and been made to look bad to the rest of the American people.

I don’t see the Democrats staying in power for 40 years because they succeeded in helping Al Qaida win. It won’t be a success for EITHER party. Democrats have temporary success here only because of American deaths. It’ll be short lived.

I agree with you, but you have to step outside of yourself and look at it from the perspective of the average America. If patraeu’s report is of failure OR if the current sucess isn’t maintained, then the American people will have no issue with pulling out of Iraq. They didn’t during Viet Nam, and it killed over 2 million people!

No matter WHAT success is achieved TIS you know Democrats with their basket of negative eggs will be downplaying the success and saying it wasn’t worth the deaths of Americans. There is no winning to a Democrat. There is no perspective.

Of course- the Democrats have a vested interest in loosing the war- they would obviously gain power in the America political arena. This is the same for the Republucasn if we win.

I’d rather be painted with the positive brush any day and fail than be painted with the negative brush and succeed…

I’d rather it be painted with an objective brush, and let me decide the merit there in.

We do learn from our failures as Americans and you can’t succeed for 40 years on somebody else’s failure.

I disgree:

1) If this was the case, this war wouldn’t be so politicized.

2) After the Great Depression, the Dems suceeded for 40 years on those failures.

Democrats have turned that into an art form.

Democrats have said, “we can’t win” and are putting their eggs in the basket of “negative” outcome.

I’m not sure how to have eggs in BOTH baskets.

I don’t see the Democrats staying in power for 40 years because they succeeded in helping Al Qaida win. It won’t be a success for EITHER party. Democrats have temporary success here only because of American deaths. It’ll be short lived.

I do have confidence in Pataeus and I hope to heaven that success (in whatever form) is achieved. No matter WHAT success is achieved TIS you know Democrats with their basket of negative eggs will be downplaying the success and saying it wasn’t worth the deaths of Americans. There is no winning to a Democrat. There is no perspective.

I’d rather be painted with the positive brush any day and fail than be painted with the negative brush and succeed… We do learn from our failures as Americans and you can’t succeed for 40 years on somebody else’s failure.

While it is clear I am no fan of either of the parties, I have to say this is a dangerous gambit on the Republican’s part. They are putting all their eggs in one basket here as far as the ‘08 elections are concerned. I never expected them to go on the defensive, but I also never expected this. If this fails, the Democrats will be in power for another 40 years.

Hopefully, it is because they have supreme confidence in Patraeus and not because it is a depserate gambit for power.

Have we not learned yet that no matter what the facts are the dems will do their best to bury them? Or at least, the facts that don’t help them.

No matter what General Patraeus says, the far left will continue to howl for retreat and defeat in Iraq, and the dems will oblige.