What will Democrats do Now?

This article by Mark Brown is telling of the debate some Democrats may be having at least with themselves after the last 18 months of negative news about Iraq. The election that took place this past weekend was a shock to most people, even to those who expected success. It was a shock because like the Iraq war in general, success seemed to be teetering in the balance. It was a shock because the early news about the election was bad and that the election itself began to snowball as the evening progressed. It was a shock because after 18 months of constsnt negative news about how Iraq is a war zone and unsafe for anyone, it made no logical sense that 8 million people would all of a sudden vote in the face of death. Finally, it was a shock because no one was prepared or expected the images and stories of the people themselves lining up to vote. Some pundits promised dancing in the streets after the fall of Baghdad; few materialized. However no one expected Iraqis to dance in the streets with purple fingers after the election in defiance of the terrorists; this we got. In fact it is these images that trigger the guilt in all of us (even Democrats) for taking freedom for granted. We should all think of the purple fingers the next time we think about skipping to the polls As Mark Brown states:

But after watching Sunday's election in Iraq and seeing the first clear sign that freedom really may mean something to the Iraqi people, you have to be asking yourself: What if it turns out Bush was right, and we were wrong?

Perhaps this quote is even more telling of where we have been. Supporters of the Iraq policy have dismissed many stupid statements as hog wash, as merely debate points or talking points; or a way to get around the truth. We all know the arguments: "Bush and his Hliburton buddies want the oil." But, perhaps supporters of the war should come to grips with a realization of this statement that SOME opponents of the war honestly did not believe that President Bush had honorable intentions in Iraq. That they honestly believe that Bush only wanted to enrich himself. It sounds crazy, but humans are a crazy lifeform.

If so, we should welcome their change of hearts and new found support for freedom. If not, we should despise Democrats for the snakes they are.