Clyburn was right
The Surge is working. Democrats panic
The No. 3 Democrat in the House, James Clyburn of South Carolina, let the cat out of the bag this summer when he said if the Surge works, that would be “a real big problem for us.”
The Surge is working. Violent deaths have dropped in Iraq by 70% since the Surge began. The latest Reuters poll shows the Democratic Congress’s job approval is at 11%.
11%.
That means 8 out of 9 Americans don’t approve. The Democratic Congress has turned off 267 million people.
That is because it has done nothing but investigate inside-the-beltway nonsense and debate the Iraq war. Threatening to cut off funding for the troops is not cool, no matter how unpopular the war is.
The Hill reported Speaker Nancy Pelosi will try to put a smiley face on congressional incompetence by going on a PR tour in November.
The Hill quoted the No. 2 House Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland: “We’re concerned obviously that the accomplishments of both the House and Senate are overshadowed by failure to change direction in Iraq. We’re hoping in the next three or four months to make it clear what has been done and make it clear we are upset that more has not been accomplished because of the president’s refusal to change direction.”
What accomplishments? Name them. In a letter to colleagues, Pelosi asked them to talk up those “accomplishments” — a hike in the minimum wage that affects 1% of all workers and more student loans — so colleges can jack up tuition even higher.
Pelosi’s credibility, however, is not very high. The Politico reported top aides to Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn called a mandatory meeting for top Democratic staffers Monday to announce “a major member-driven message campaign” that leaders hope to sustain through the end of the year.
Politico quoted a senior Democratic leadership aide, who said, “The best people to deliver this message are individual members.”
I smell panic.
If those rookie Democratic congressmen want to get re-elected, I suggest they buck Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn and join Republicans whenever possible. The FISA act — the real accomplishment of this Congress (courtesy of Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican House Leader John Boehner) — came because 41 Blue Dog Democrats in the House supported it.
Ed Patru, communications director for the House Republican Conference, told Politico: “The public knows full well Democrat leaders haven’t delivered, not because rank-and-file isn’t doing enough to broadcast cadaverous talking points. They should be plotting leadership coups, not having pizza parties. This is not the kind of change the freshmen thought they were getting, and it’s certainly not the kind of change the country expected.”
Democrats underestimated the strength of our military and the resolve of our commander-in-chief. Democrats bet on defeat. Senate Plurality Leader Harry Reid declared the war lost in April.
Now, 6 months later, Osama bin Laden is admitting defeat in Iraq as he scrambles to make himself relevant again.
Sort of like the Democratic Congress.
The Hill story is here. The Politico story is here. Blog reaction is here.