Essential reading on Iraq

Here are a couple of op-ed pieces that interested readers should scan on the state of play on Iraq.

First, from Pat Buchanan, who is no fan of the Iraq invasion:

In his "Plan for Victory" address to the Naval Academy, the president declared: "Against this adversary, there is only one effective response: We will never back down. We will never give in. And we will never accept anything less than complete victory."

This is what one expects of a commander in chief in wartime, speaking to the patriotic young midshipmen, who roared approval.

To which Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean instantly retorted, "The idea that we're going to win this war ... is just plain wrong."

How's that for a Churchillian, "we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches ... we-shall-never-surrender" moment?

Sunday on "Face the Nation," John Kerry said to Bob Schieffer: "There is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking ... the historical customs, religious customs. ... Iraqis should be doing that."

After the laughter died, Democratic spin-doctors were out in force explaining that Kerry was not calling U.S. troops terrorists.

After Bush went before the Council of Foreign Relations to report some progress in the war, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi headed for the cameras to sneer: "Just because he says things are improving doesn't make it so. ... The president says the security situation on the ground is better. It is not."

How's that for a morale booster?

And, an a more intellectual level, Norman Podhoretz looks at the coverage of last January's elections in Iraq and comes to some conclusions about what we can expect in the aftermath of next week's vote.

I wonder how long it will be until Howard Dean and the left-wing media suggest that the US flag be changed from the Stars and Stripes to a white cross on a white background, while insisting that they "support the troops".