The Washington Post reports this morning on an interview with House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn. While Clyburn covered a lot of ground, the item that has attracted the most attention is Clyburn's acknowledgment that a positive report from General Petraeus on Operation Phantom Thunder could be "a real big problem" for Democrats:
Clyburn noted that Petraeus carries significant weight among the 47 members of the Blue Dog caucus in the House, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats. Without their support, he said, Democratic leaders would find it virtually impossible to pass legislation setting a timetable for withdrawal.
"I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the course and if the Republicans were to stay united as they have been, then it would be a problem for us," Clyburn said. "We, by and large, would be wise to wait on the report."
It's unfortunate that it requires political calculation for Clyburn to arrive at the correct position--t should be obvious that the right thing to do is to wait for the assessment of the commander on the ground.
That said, Clyburn's remarks are another indication that the debate on Iraq may be shifting. Some of the Blue Dogs have been consistently reluctant to second-guess the generals on the ground. For example, ten Democrats voted against a resolution calling for withdrawal from Iraq by April. It would take just 16 Democrats--in combination with the entire Republican caucus--to defeat a timetable for withdrawal. And given that even people like Keith Ellison and Jerry McNerney are seeing signs of progress, it might not be difficult for disciplined House Republicans to win a majority.
Ellison said that local leaders in Ramadi told him of how they partnered with U.S. and Iraqi military officials to virtually rid al-Qaeda from the city. Although the lawmakers had to travel in flak vests and helmets, "we did see people walking around the streets of Ramadi, going back and forth to the market..."
Ellison said he was particularly impressed watching Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin, U.S. commander in the Anbar province, greeting people with "as-salama aleikum," meaning peace be upon you.
"And they would respond back with smiles and waves," Ellison said. "I don't want to overplay it. There were no flowers. There was no clapping. There was no parade. But there was a general level of respect and calm that I thought was good."
McNerney, the California congressman, also said he saw signs of progress in Ramadi and was impressed by Petraeus, who argued in favor of giving President Bush's troop surge strategy time to work.
And how are Clyburn's comments being greeted on the Left? So far, there's a lot of silence. But one liberal site is ignoring Clyburn's plain words in favor of something that fits the paradigm--where good news from Iraq is impossible, and people like Keith Ellison and David Petraeus can only be liars or dupes:
He's not saying that actual success in Iraq would be "a real big problem" for Democrats. He's saying that a deeply politicized piece of GOP propaganda from Petraeus disguised as an honest report would be a problem, because Petraeus is so well regarded.
Watch the interview and see if you agree.
