I must be hallucinating when I hear them comparing Iraq with Vietnam, when the only reasonable comparison is that in both wars the work of relentless antiwar protestors has been our enemies' best (probably only) chance of defeating us.
I must be misinterpreting their seeming joy at every morsel of bad news that makes its way out of Iraq. I must be imagining that the mainstream media virtually conspire to ignore and suppress good news and sensationalize the bad.
I must be crazy to read enthusiasm into their reaction over failed deadlines for the completion of the Iraqi constitution. I must be unfair in disapproving their glib reference to imported international terrorists in Iraq as "insurgents" -- as if Iraq is experiencing a civil war.
I must be taking them the wrong way when I hear them spouting slanderous inanities such as that the action in Iraq is President Bush's war for oil.
I must be mistaken in assuming they are anxious to label America's actions in Iraq as imperialistic when everyone knows that our purpose, having deposed Saddam and liberated Iraq, is to help to launch her new government and establish stability and security before we withdraw.
Of course I am not saying that all those who oppose the war in Iraq are unpatriotic. Without question there are legitimate reasons to oppose our action in Iraq, but that's not what we're talking about here.
We're talking about a large group of people who wouldn't be behaving much differently if they were being paid by our enemies to hurt our cause. And I'm not even saying they aren't patriotic, just that their actions certainly make them seem otherwise.
The relevant political question surrounding this subject is whether the Democratic Party is going to be able forever to satisfy these people without alienating almost everyone else. How will Hillary Clinton thread this needle in 2008? What games will she have to play either to keep them in tow or, conversely, to fool everyone else?
But 2008 is a long way off. In the meantime, President Bush will proceed on the path he considers in our best interests and that of the Iraqis, regardless of the unrelenting criticism. Now, if he would just take action to tighten our borders …