Iraq Progress Forces Democrats to Shift Again

The success of the President's new strategy in Iraq is unmistakable. The country generally and Baghdad particularly are far different places than they were a year ago.

In short, the "surge" is working by virtually all accounts.

Concurrently, the Democrats' calls for setting a date for unilateral surrender ("withdrawal"), all too common even six months ago, have faded into the background.

In today's New York Times, reporter Patrick Healy notes, "As violence declines in Baghdad, the leading Democratic presidential candidates are undertaking a new and challenging balancing act on Iraq: acknowledging that success, trying to shift the focus to the lack of political progress there, and highlighting more domestic concerns like health care and the economy."

With the falling level of violence that has come as U.S. and Iraqi troops defeat Al Queda and other insurgent forces (most of whom are foreign-backed), the Times story notes that Democrats have tried to change the topic, making the "lack of political progress" in Iraq the issue.

In other words, if they can't score political points over the military strategy (which is working), the Democrats try to shift the discussion to the fact that Iraqi politicians are not all getting along.

Lack of political progress in IRAQ? How about the lack of political progress in WASHINGTON? Democrats are not exactly in a position to lecture the Iraqi parliament on what constitutes effective governance when their party's primary accomplishments since they took control of Congress have been to propose "the mother of all tax increases" and rename a few post offices.