The key lie in the [tag]Bush[/tag] White House’s rhetoric about the war in [tag]Iraq[/tag] is characterizing the conflict as the “central front in the [tag]war on terror[/tag].” For the reality-based community, it’s never made any sense — Iraq wasn’t involved with 9/11, Hussein did not support Al Qaeda, and the invasion of Iraq diverted resources and attention away from Afghanistan and towards a country that was not an imminent threat.
But for the GOP, these inconvenient details get in the way of a winning sales pitch: If you support a war on [tag]terrorism[/tag], you necessarily have to support the [tag]war[/tag] in Iraq. As the theory goes, they’re one in the same.
To their credit, a growing number of Americans know better.
Americans increasingly see the war in Iraq as distinct from the fight against terrorism, and nearly half believe President Bush has focused too much on Iraq to the exclusion of other threats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
The poll found that 51 percent of those surveyed saw no link between the war in Iraq and the broader antiterror effort, a jump of 10 percentage points since June. That increase comes despite the regular insistence of Mr. Bush and Congressional Republicans that the two are intertwined and should be seen as complementary elements of a strategy to prevent domestic terrorism.
In a policy context, it’s a relief to see a majority of the public look past the nonsense and recognize the disconnect between Iraq and a war on terrorism. In a political context, if the poll is accurate, the [tag]Republicans[/tag] have a real problem on their hands.
Allegedly, the GOP plan for midterms is to emphasize their “strengths” on combating terrorism. But if the public realizes that Iraq has nothing to do with this effort, what, exactly, are Republicans going to point to in the way of a record of accomplishments on the issue?
It won’t be [tag]Afghanistan[/tag], which has deteriorated and generated precious little attention from Congress. It won’t be homeland security, which Republicans have largely ignored despite Democratic attempts to boost investment.
It also won’t be serious efforts to expand use of alternative fuels, increased attention on port security, or an emphasis on law enforcement and intelligence gathering — all of which are part of the Dems’ national security strategy, not the Republicans’.
So, what’s the [tag]GOP[/tag] left with? Support for the “staying the course” in Iraq clearly won’t cut it.
Republicans better hope voters hate gay people and the estate tax enough to get them through the cycle in one piece. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t be optimistic.