IRAQ AND THE WAR ON TERROR: THE DEMS DILEMMA

By far the strongest argument that the Iraq doves have is the current status of the other fronts in the war on terror. After failing to commit to nation-building in Afghanistan, we've let most of the country lapse back into the same anarchy which produced the Taliban in the first place. Second, as the Instapundit sums up neatly in the Fox News column, progress on domestic security reform in the past year has been a disgrace. The endless, content-free debate over Iraq however overshadows both failures - and so far the Bushies have emerged politically unscathed from either front. All of which is leading liberal pundits to twist their mouths like Dana Carvey's Church Lady and exclaim "Well, isn't that convenient."

The first problem with this conspiracy theory, points out Andrew Sullivan in Salon, is that Bush Admnistration had set Saddam in their sights even before 9/11, and has been hinting about taking him on since immediately afterward. Say what you want about the Bushies, they genuinely believe that war with Iraq is essential for this nation's security. The second problem is the Bushies happen to be right on Iraq - pretty much the only successful response by the Bushies in the past year has been their deployment of military force. These leaves the Dem with a tough dilemma - how to deliver much deserved criticism to the Bush Administration when it happens to be right on the most important issue facing the nation. So far they've chosen to put their efforts behind blocking Bush on Iraq, while giving him a free pass everywhere else. I can't think of a worse choice for the Dems or our country.