Working for the greater good

The Democrat strategy on Iraq is shifting again, according to Martin Kady at the Politico:

Congressional Democrats rode anti-war sentiment to victory last fall — but they are staking their success in the final months of this year’s calendar on more traditional domestic issues amid concern that the war may not be the potent political issue it once was by Election Day 2008.

With few Iraq votes expected in the next several weeks — a marked
departure from the first nine months of the new Democratic-controlled
Congress — Democrats are trying to build an agenda that’s heavy on
health care, community policing, housing, tax reform and other issues

In 1998, Democrats led the Senate to declare that overthrowing Saddam was US policy. When time came to vote on the war, many prominent Democrats, including Senators Edwards and Kerry, voted for the War. After the war started, they decided to oppose it loudly. This summer, they were concerned (that "would be a real problem for us") that the US might achieve victory in Iraq before the Democrats could legislate defeat. Now, after with their poll numbers have continued to drop, they are going to give the war the silent treatment. The one consistent point throughout all these maneuvers on matters of war and peace seems to that their aim is mere short-term political gain, very short-term.