Reply #94: Iraq Polls

[wussoch]

I don't recall disagreeing with any polls about Iraq. I am simply trying to suggest that another front of IDEAS needs to be opened by the DNC, along with the front which you are advocating. You are advising that the Democratic Party be SECRETIVE with regard to their agenda for fear of being countered by Rove et al. I am trying to say that voters need to be convinced of a viable alternative to Republican policies. It really behooves nobody to have an unpopular current government policy which is only sniped at, without any real new ideas being propounded. Since we have a Two-Party system, there needs to be a dialogue in the nation with regard to different choices in how the respective parties will lead the nation. "Stay the Course" vs. "Pull Out" is not a real dialogue. I agree that polls say that the majority of Americans think it was a "mistake" to have invaded Iraq. However, I think support for the invasion was somewhere between 70-80% (including many, many Democrats) when it was first launched. And I am not sure, but I don't believe that immediate withdrawal from Iraq cracks 50% yet (I apologize, but I just did a Google search and found nothing current and am too tired to look further for a link)... probably more along the lines of 25-30%. So what we saw after 9/11 was a "bloodlust" that favored the Iraq invasion... many of these people have since deserted that position, but don't favor immediate withdrawal. Polls are subtle, and obviously depend on the wording of the question, which may be either vague, specific, or leading.

Again, I am simply advocating for a coherent message. It is difficult to determine actually what the Democratic position is on the issue, with some suggesting immediate withdrawal (not favored by most Americans) like Ned Lamont, others (like Lieberman) more hawkish and others with nonsense positions (John Kerry... listening to this guy is simply exhausting). I want to hear a PLAN for bringing troops home while addressing the issues that would likely arise with the vacuum created by an immediate withdrawal... delineating new STRATEGY and TACTICS which differ from the current course. You seem to argue against the taking of concrete positions in any guise for fear of Rove's manipulations... I simply don't think you can win national elections without a message. I would like to hear one.