Democrats in denial

Michael Gerson:

If 2006 was a year of denial for the Bush administration -- demonstrating that patience in pursuit of a failing military strategy is not a virtue -- 2007 was a period of awakening. Like Abraham Lincoln before him, the president discovered the cathartic pleasure of replacing generals. In Petraeus, Bush found his Grant. He also found that war, like politics, is the art of adjustment.

As the political blitzkrieg of 2008 begins in earnest, it is the Democrats who, on a number of key issues, are living in a state of denial.

In Iraq, coalition casualties are down significantly along with Iraqi civilian casualties, roadside bombings and suicide attacks. Large sections of Baghdad have been pacified, and the military rolls toward Mosul. Al-Qaeda in Iraq is in reeling retreat. And most impressively, we have seen the first example of a large scale Sunni Arab uprising against Islamic extremism. By one estimate, 30,000 former insurgents and tribal leaders are now fighting the enemy in Iraq, adding their surge to our own.

This progress is reversible, especially while Moqtada al-Sadr's militias maintain the capability to mount their own mini-Tet Offensive. But the Petraeus counterinsurgency strategy has succeeded with disorienting speed. Its combination of vision and competence will fill chapters in military textbooks.

In spite of these gains, Democratic presidential candidates still insist on reckless timetables for withdrawal -- the surest way to rescue defeat from the jaws of victory. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- who declared that the surge "failed" even before it was fully implemented -- now contends that "the surge hasn't accomplished its goals."

Bush was hurt by his late and grudging acknowledgement of military failure. Democrats deserve to be hurt by their late and grudging acknowledgement of military success.

Democratic rhetoric on education is also an assault on reality. Attacking No Child Left Behind is a reliable campaign applause line -- Hillary Clinton promises to "end" the law, because it is "just not working." Actually, the imposition of educational standards and testing has improved math and reading scores and begun narrowing the gap between disadvantaged and affluent students.

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Democratic candidates attack the Bush tax cuts as a fiscal disaster -- just as a growing economy has boosted tax revenues to their highest level in history, halving the federal deficit in three years.

In 2008, Democrats are convinced that their time has come. But elections are not won by appealing to the clock. Political vacuums are filled by ideas. And Democrats in denial require some adjustments of their own.

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Taking a distasteful dose of reality is one of the most difficult things in politics. Clearly it was hard for the president on Iraq -- but it was good for the country. And it would be good for America if Democrats opened wide for a dose of their own.

Don't hold your breath. Democrats are more beholding to the NEA than to the parents of the children who are not being educated. They are too beholding to the loser lobby than they are to seeing the benefits of victory in Iraq. In fact they still see political benefits to losing in Iraq and ignore the strategic importance of winning. BTW, Gerson is much more interesting talking about political events than when he is lecturing on religion. He has hit on the two most important issues and exposed the Democrat vulnerability on both.