The Moose observes that Democratic Congressional candidates are embracing the sensible center. "Most Democratic candidates in competitive congressional races are opposed to setting a timetable for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, rejecting pressure from liberal activists to demand a quick end to the three-year-old military conflict. Of the 59 Democrats in hotly contested House and Senate races, a majority agree with the Bush administration that it would be unwise to set a specific schedule for troop withdrawal, and only a few are calling for substantial troop reductions to begin this year, according to a Washington Post survey of the campaigns." This analysis takes the sail out of the wind both of the activist left who want to retreat and the Republicans who seek to claim that the Democrats are the party of cutting and running. The truth is that while most Democrats are harshly critical of the Administration's handling of the war, many of them realize that it would be disastrous both in terms of policy and politics to signal when we are withdrawing. If Democrats take the House/and or Senate, these sensible centrist Democrats will not be likely to press for a cut-off of funds or call for a premature withdrawal. While that position might anger the left activists, it will reflect the sentiment of the voters who elect them. The public is deeply dissatisfied with the state of the war. But they reject the option of defeat. Reports of the demise of the sensible Democratic center may be significantly premature.
There was big news in yesterday's Washington Post. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, most Democratic Congressional candidates are more DLC and less MoveOn.org. Here is the story,
Email
this post
