The Stalemate

Democrats need the stalemate on Iraq much more than the President does. Of course, the stalemate gives them an issue which they can use to beat up Republicans, but they are not using it particularly wisely. The Democrats are using the issue to look like pansies and Americans don't like to look like pansies, ever.

The war is unpopular, it doesn't take a genius to see it. But Democratic alternatives are limited since they don't control the White House. They are not the Constitutional Commander in Chief and try as they might with resolutions and "Sense of Congress" bills, Congressional Democrats will never be in a position to truly affect strategy in Iraq short of exercising their one Constitutional power, the power of the purse. But in that path lies defeat, both militarily and politically.

President Bush is unwilling to change strategy and while it may turn out to be right in the long run, in the short run it is brutally difficult to maintain the strategy in the face of the withering dissent from Democrats and now of his own party. However, I do not fear the President changing his mind until he is ready to do so.

So here we are, a Democratic Congress with rhetoric about seeking a change but the only power to effect a change is not being pursued. We have a President who could make a change, but can't do so without looking like he is caving to Congressional pressure and eviscertaing his last months in office--not to mention eviscerating the American position in the world.

So the United States and the world will have a ringside seat to



Nothing.