Matt Stoller of OpenLeft is one of the bright online analysts and activists on the Democratic side of the aisle. He wrote recently about the move by Democrats to take Iraq ‘off the table,’ arguing that war opponents should not look past Iraq as a political issue. He says that while Iraq itself may no longer be viewed as negatively as it once was, it still imposes a real opportunity cost: dollars spent on Iraq cannot be spent on other priorities. Stoller wonders why Democrats are not at least testing the argument that Iraq has prevented–continues to prevent–the government from addressing other key priorities. This might point to a political opportunity for Democrats, or it may contribute to the image of Democrats as hung up on the past. While the Vietnam War led to a Democratic landslide in 1974, the party would probably have been more successful in the long-run if they had forgotten about the conflict after it ended. Stoller’s post has another interesting tidbit though: he reprints a memo from Democratic Congressman cum strategist Rahm Emanuel. It’s fascinating to see how quickly some Democrats want to forget Iraq entirely, now that the success of the surge has undercut their position:
Click to Stoller to read the whole memo. It’s largely a recitation of polling data favorable to Democrats. Stoller points out an obvious question. If this is such a slam dunk for Democrats, then why did the message fail so badly in their high-profile attempt to ‘steal’ a longtime GOP seat in an Ohio special election?
