David Brooks On Iraq: My Thoughts Exactly

In one of those coincidences that is not so coincidental, David Brooks has a piece about Iraq and the polls today that echoes many of the thoughts I had when I put together my little satire. I say not so coincidental not because I had read his piece before I did mine (I hadn't), but more because of my increasing belief in the concept of memes that run through society. As the meme that we have 'lost' in Iraq gains ground, those of us who still believe in the rightness and victory of our cause naturally want to remind people of similar moments in the past when the urge to just give up became overwhelming to a large segment of the population.

The whole piece is worthwhile reading, but the following particularly struck me:

On Tuesday, Senator Joe Biden gave a speech in Washington on Iraq, after his most recent visit. It was, in some ways, a model of what the president needs to tell the country in the weeks ahead. It was scathing about the lack of progress in many areas. But it was also constructive. "I believe we can still succeed in Iraq," he said. Biden talked about building the coalition at home that is necessary if we are to get through the 2006 election cycle without a rush to the exits.

Biden's speech brought to mind something Franklin Roosevelt told the country on Feb. 23, 1942: "Your government has unmistakable confidence in your ability to hear the worst, without flinching or losing heart. You must, in turn, have complete confidence that your government is keeping nothing from you except information that will help the enemy in his attempt to destroy us."

That's how democracies should fight, even in the age of polling.

Amen to that (and kudos to Biden, who's talking a lot more sense than most Democrats and quite a few Republicans)...and let's hope the Bush administration is listening...