More thoughts on America and "losers"

Sandy Levinson

I think that Jack's posting immediately below is typically insightful about the dynamics of American politics. But it contains the equivalent of a ticking time bomb with regard to what the Democrats actually do when regaining power. Begin with two years ago: With regard to the war (and not, say, appointments to the Supreme Court or changes in administrative regulations involving environmental poicy), how many of you are really and truly sorry that John Kerry did not become President? Does anyone amongf us believe that the man who had no coherent policy on Iraq throughout his campaign would have so mesmerized the country upon taking the oath of office (as a minority president, relative to the popular vote, if his victory had been achieved by a switch of 75000 votes in Ohio) that he would have avoided being flayed by the same Republicans who are busy trying to figure out what to do with their own loser President? Wouldn't we have heard a steady diet of how the Repubicans would never have forced us into the position of a completely ignominious retreat, etc., etc.? Wouldn't Kerry be doomed to be a one-term president (possibly facing a primary challenger)?

This is why I continue to believe that Iraq is far, far more serious and catastrophic even than Vietnam, though, recall, that the death rate for Americans has been far less (in part because so many people are surviving a seriously wounded and maimed, with huge costs to the American economy and psyche in the next decades). The reason is, as I have argued earlier, is that one could coherently, albeit controversially, argue that we "deserved" to lose that war and that the world would be better, overall, if we did lose. Though there is obviously mixed evidence--think of the takeover of Cambodia by Pol Pot immediately after our withdrawal--one can argue that, overall, that's turned out to be the case. China is now being defended by Balkinization conservatives as a model of capitalist probity, thinking only of profit maximization, and Vietnam has recently been described in somewhat similar terms as a onrushing economic tiger.

No serious person can look forward to an American defeat in Iraq. It's one thing to label Bush and Rummy, correctly, as "losers" in the specific sense of being clueless as to how to proceed. It's another thing entirely to say that the American public is ready to accept a stunning loss in Iraq, with potentially devastating consequences for the region and the world (including, who knows, the use of oil as a weapon by regimes that are less neo-capitalist than China is now purported to be).

If the Democrats do take power, and if they hope to take the presidency, then they will have to come up with a coherent policy on how to explain the loss of the Iraq--and, possibly, the Afghan--War. I don't know that the public will settle for a "simply blame Republican incompetence" strategy if that is used to justify a Saigon-like hasty retreat from Baghdad. I have not detected general acceptance by Democrats of Rep. Murtha's views. Some President is going to have to explain to Americans that many of their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, best friends, etc., basically died in vain because of bi-partisan cowardice and incompetence. I wouldn't want to be the Democrat who is charged with offering the explanation.

Happy election night!
Posted 6:10 PM by Sandy Levinson [link]