Bush strategist Matthew Dowd: "In the public's mind, the Iraq War was a mistake"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

As we approach the September reports on Iraq, the public debate over our military presence there has once again intensified. Both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are ratcheting up the rhetoric about the best course of action, with the president using a pit stop in Iraq as a backdrop for his latest remarks. Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats on the Hill are engaged in heated discussions -- both within and between their caucuses. Adding to the heat, several third party groups have begun advertising efforts to try and push elected officials one way or the other.

As the Beltway ramps up the debate, I believe it is a good and appropriate time to reflect on the opinions of the people those in our nation's capital serve -- the American public -- and specifically what they believe is the right direction in Iraq. I write this because I am a big believer in the "wisdom of crowds," which is to say that I put just more trust in the collective opinion of 300 million decent, honest and caring Americans than in the elites living in Washington, DC. This is not to say politics and polls should determine substantive public policy especially regarding a war, but politics and polls should also not be used to thwart the will of the citizens of this country.

:wtf:

Having been a rather keen observer of the American public for more than 20 years and having helped elect and re-elect folks from the State House to the White House I wanted to share with you an analysis of where the public currently stands on the war in Iraq. I share these thoughts as neither a Republican nor a Democrat. While I did serve as Chief Strategist for President Bush in the 2004 campaign, I now consider myself an independent and feel it is a good time to offer what I hope you will find is a measured, reflective and objective analysis of where Democrats and Independents and a large portion of Republican voters stand on the Iraq war today.

1. In the public's mind, the Iraq War was a mistake, and continuing the status quo is simply continuing on with a mistake. As a result, most Americans now view the situation in Iraq as a "rearview" mirror issue -- meaning that the public believes it is time to focus on the process of ending our involvement and getting out quickly. They see American troops as targets in a place we aren't wanted, and they desire a plan which achieves responsible withdrawal in the quickest and safest way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-dowd/war-in-iraq-wisdom-of-c_b_63677.html

[LearnedHand]

1. Uh, no SHIT Sherlock

Jesus H. Christ on a crutch. How fuckin' understated can Dowdy be?

[PsN2Wind]

2. A mistake?, hardly

It was the deliberate misuse of the American military to further the goals of the neo-cons and stroke the ego of the puppet pResident.

[calimary]

3. No Shit, Sherlock, indeed. Nice of you to wake up, dowd.

Wonder whatza matter here? Is he all of a sudden sprouting a conscience and realizing the world-class mortal sins he's enabled and co-committed? Whatsa matter, dowd? Got some sort of inoperable cancerous brain tumor or something that suddenly makes you do a 180 and repent on your deathbed like that fucking rat-bastard coward lee atwater did?

Nice of him finally to get it. Sorry to be so crass here. But when it's self-inflicted, I have NO pity. OR tolerance. And you'll have to ask me in another decade or so if I've finally found it in my heart to start considering forgiveness for the likes of him. I suppose I'll get there eventually, but this guy does not get ANY free pass or attaboy from me this soon. Sorry, dowd. You've gotta do hard time with me before you're forgiven. The Guy on the Cross was big enough and blessed enough to forgive you WAY back when. I'm not that good or noble.

And a mealy-mouthed tippy-toe trip around it, here, while OBVIOUSLY trying your hardest not to offend your former master won't cut it with me, either. You're gonna have to do A LOT better than that.

I apologize for sounding like such an ass tonight, but I'm in a lousy mood at the moment - thinking how the Betray-us "report" will be waltzed around like it's a free private night alone with Beyonce or Jessica Biel or some other glorious creature.

[ProSense]

4. A couple of things for Matt

A response to his current post:

Matt,

It would be nice if you had apologized to the American public as well - after all you did contribute to the prolonging of this "mistake" as "Chief Strategist for President Bush in the 2004 campaign." In simpler terms, President Kerry would have ended this war by now!

Also, I wish people spoke truth to power when they were in a position to make a difference. At this point in time, unfortunately - you are too little, too late! Nonetheless, your mea culpa might enable you to sleep better at night.

Log in | posted 08:17 pm on 09/09/2007

And a commentary about the crowd he enabled:

Yet the "debate" taking place in the Beltway regarding Iraq could not be any further removed from the views most Americans hold, and the war-continuing actions of our political class over the next several weeks will be -- yet again -- in complete defiance of the pervasive belief in this country that it is long past time to end the war. Just as they do with regard to the realities in Iraq, our political class just pretends that these facts about American public opinion are not true. As but one particularly egregious (though representative) example, this is what Fred Thompson advisor Mary Matalin said last week on the Meet the Press:

MS. MATALIN: Yes, because what we're seeing for the first time last week, is a majority of people now support and believe that the war can be won.

Matalin's claim that a majority "believe that the war can be won" is extremely dubious (the Post-ABC Poll found the opposite: that a plurality believes the U.S. will lose the war; only a minority (39%) believes we will win). But Matalin's claim that "a majority of people now support" the war is just an outright lie.

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