Originally Posted By: the G-man

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to press for a timetable to end the war. . . .What does it say about Clyburn's party that if things go well for America, it would be "a real big problem for us"?


R. Emmett Tyrrell, who coined the term Kultursmog to describe the cloud of "liberal misconceptions and bugaboos" that "pollutes the liberals' minds and renders them oblivious of any evidence contrary to their gloomy views," expands on the point in a column today in the New York Sun:

  • So far as I can tell almost all the Democratic presidential candidates think the war is lost. Congress abounds with solons who are calling for retreat.

    The political culture is almost totally befogged by liberal misconceptions and bugaboos. It pollutes the liberals' minds and renders them oblivious of any evidence contrary to their gloomy views.

    Thus they will continue to say we are losing. They may pipe down somewhat, but they are not likely to admit to being wrong. How would they know?

    If their calls for retreat gain no support from the electorate, perhaps they will change the subject to another of their favorite misconceptions, to wit, the economy is going to hell.

    Actually the economy is chugging along in a healthy and protracted period of growth. For the past five years per capita gross domestic product has grown at 11%. We are living through a vast global economic boom, and the Democrats seem completely unaware.

    In 2008 their presidential candidate will be moaning that we have lost a war and are economically in a hell of a mess. The Republican will only have to point to a healthy economy and the success of Mr. Petraeus's splendid army to win. Then the Democrats will whine that the Republicans stole the election from them. That is my prediction