Apparently not. This is disturbing but not surprising:
Nearly one out of every five Democrats thinks the world will be better off if America loses the war in Iraq, according to the FOX News Opinion Dynamics Poll released Thursday.
The percentage of Democrats (19 percent) who believe that is nearly four times the number of Republicans (5 percent) who gave the same answer. Seven percent of independents said the world would be better off if the U.S. lost the war.
I think it is safe to say that those 19 percent of Democrats comprise the Left that I hammer. I am sincere when I say that I don't have contempt for Democrats. I may disagree with most on foreign policy issues, but I accept that they sincerely believe their view is best for our country. And on other issues I may or may not agree with them. I am glad that the Left is no more than a fifth of the left side of the aisle.
Nor is it a shock that 5% of Republicans share the repulsive view that the world would be better off if Baathists, or jihadis, or Iranian-supported thugs won in Iraq. This strain of conservatism has always existed.
But as I've explained, this 5% is marginalized by our political and media classes. They are not a factor in the debate. The Left, by contrast, is bolstered by the political and media classes who understand where the Left is coming from and believe these people have their hearts in the right place even if specific positions are seen as too far out. Refuting the Left just isn't a high priority.
I am heartened that independents are far closer to the Republican position on the war.
Thinking the world would be better off if we lose the Iraq War is not dissent and it is not patriotic. The only thing to be said in their favor is that as long as they don't work to achieve that loss, it is not treason.
But give them time, I suppose. Give them time.
