I find the current situation viz. the Iraq funding bill to be quite interesting. It's promising, in any event. The Democrats are finally picking a fight on Iraq funding, and I think it's the right time. I find it interesting that even as Iraq has gotten objectively better (i.e. fewer deaths), it's become even less popular. Not an original sentiment, but I think it underscores the fact that people have limited patience for conflicts that aren't really necessary or correct. Had Iraq turned out to be an oasis of freedom and secularism in exchange for a few months of war, I suspect most Americans would have been willing to make that tradeoff. When we talk about Iraq and Vietnam, though, not so much. It seems to me that if we can't clearly say why we're there at any given time, then we're sunk. I agree with what Matt Yglesias says about this--that we're basically there to provide cover to certain politicians who don't want to admit they're wrong. That is insufficient...
Everyone expected a GOP opposition to the war to materialize, but it largely hasn't. One wonders if this will come to pass after the possibility of Republicans being challenged in primaries passes. Since Republicans, by and large, still love the war, dissenters (like Wayne Gilchrest) could find themselves punished by organizations like Freedom's Watch and the Victory Caucus with a pro-war primary challenger. Staying steadfastly pro-war is quite a liability, and I find it hard to imagine a situation which will make the public want to rededicate themselves to the conflict. The path is simple, at least it would be if I were a GOP rep--wait until the primary deadlines pass, then challenge the war. It might dampen some Republican turnout, but probably not if Hillary's the nominee.
In any event, that the Democrats seem to be taking a stand on this issue is important. We got ourselves elected by promising to bring the Iraq War to an end. This was somewhat unrealistic, but people did (and do) still expect this to happen. So, since nothing else worked, going after the money really is the only way to end it. This episode will surely become a part of the Republicans' stab-in-the-back theory, but it doesn't seem to me like most people give a damn about such things anymore and just want to get out. And at least the Democrats will be able to say they stood tall against Bush on something.
