Joe Lieberman is of course a prophet without honor in his own party. But will poll-fearing Republicans also reject his message? The same day Cheney and Lieberman spoke, I happened to get an email from a friend. He's been very critical of the way the Bush administration has fought the war, and was pessimistic about the outcome until Bush's change of strategy in January. He's in Baghdad now, is modestly optimistic about what's happening there, and was amazed to read about the state of debate in Washington:
"It will be a tragedy and an unforgivable crime if we abandon the Iraqis who are fighting with us. It will really be a black spot on our history far worse than Vietnam. . . . It will set back any effort to achieve positive effects in the Muslim world, and especially the Arab world. . . . A senior Iraqi officer I spoke to today told me that any Iraqi who says that America should withdraw soon is not a real Iraqi. Only the militia and the insurgents, he said, want us to leave. He is right. If we withdraw now, we will be acting at the behest of our worst enemies, snatching defeat against al Qaeda from the jaws of victory, and strengthening all of the worst actors in this region. The Iraqi people do not want us to leave. . . .
"We went through two of the worst Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad. . .
. heavily infested with al Qaeda and other terrorists who terrorize the population and drive them to support or at least tolerate attacks against us. But the kids on the streets--and there were many--waved, smiled, asked for candy. The locals give us tips and ask us to get the terrorists out of the area and, above all, to protect them. We walked through a market off of Haifa Street--remember, the site of that long-running gun-battle back in January that made so much news? The market was thriving, flourishing, the local U.S. commander knew everyone and everyone knew him. The kids thronged around us, laughing, asking for candy. . . . One guy chased us all around the pool hall with a paper in his hand. He wanted to give it to General Odierno to get him a job working at the airport. Imagine a guy not only willing to be seen in public asking us to help him, but a guy willing to chase us around to do it.
"And Haifa Street is a mixed neighborhood. There were Sunnis and Shias both at the market and mixed in areas all through there. And we have not cleared Haifa Street--but we were able to drive up and down it, see people living, working, talking together, and in considerable safety. We are winning this war with the people. And they are putting their lives in our hands. . . . Our tip lines are flooded with calls from locals to tell us about bad people, even of their own sect. They are counting on us and they want to work with us and help us help them. I will never be able to see America the same way if we abandon them now. I hope and pray that our country is incapable of such an abominable act."
It is George W. Bush's historic mission to stand in the way of such a disgrace. And he can prevail. Surely this nation will not, at the end of the day, follow the path of defeat-embracing Democrats or poll-fearing Republicans.
--William Kristol
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