A Winning Alternative!

Have democrats assumed the wrong posture.

Are we making a mistake talking about peace and setting a policy to get us out of Iraq... Have we made ourselves as a result politically liable for all of the negative arguments that we know the Republicans will use against us?

Are the Republicans contriving arguments against us using our desire for peace to call us a bunch of chicken-livered liberals
who don't have the guts to protect America?
Are we being played as yellow-bellies? We the ones who volunteered to serve our country against the malingerers and buck passers of the Grand Old Party...

I know much of this is hard to stomach but there may be some truth in the above. And to make matters worse, we may be playing into that kind of perception that can make us look weak, spineless and not committed to ending terrorism and that, you can be sure, is the card that the Republcans will play if given half a chance....

In doing my research, I've come across pro and con arguments but one of the best arguments is from a retired democrat official who thinks we are fighting the wrong war.
Ah, someone who thinks like I do.
Okay, let's go somewhere with that argument:


For those of us who go back a few years, we've seen these kind of strategies played up by the dirty tricks crowds of Segretti and Atwater and their successors...

It is not uncommon to use any tricks in their unlimited bag of tricks if it is going to serve their ends...

But what is an alternative course that will allow us to persue our legitimate goals and still come off looking strong and courageous?

Tough question: Almost by allowing the Republicans to frame the argument, we seem to have placed ourselves somewhere between a rock and a hard place.

Here's the facts that we can use.

One, Iraq is a disaster; nothing we shall do will change the outcome. It is already acknowledged as a Civil War.

Two, we left Afghanistan when Iraq began when we were just this close to Victory.

Three: We took our eye off the ball in Iraq and Al Qaeda is back raising hell.

Four: Although we left, Afghans do not hate us the way the Muslims do; nor is there a Civil War there and, most importantly, we can still win.

Therefore, let's pose the same strategy:

Let's pull our troops to the periphery like Murtha said to be used only in emergency and let's transfer our troops to Afghanistan and take out bin Laden, the real person behind 9/11.

This would provide us with a dose of credibility and bring us back to the real issue: Getting the guys who tried to take us out!

This would not only have credibility with the American people, it would change the framing of the argument from something that is support of a position that is irrelevant to fighting a war that is relevant, germane and can be won!

It also makes us look a heck of a lot smarter than the guys in power who aree fighting the wrong war in the wrong place.

Les Aaron






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