When you witness the plane fly into the building, you don’t need to hypothesize the damage is from an internal implosion. The Republicans have been beaten by an air attack. The Democrats make this election a national referendum on Iraq and this time they win the battle. It is an effective strategy using television, newspapers and magazines to instill the belief in the public that Iraq is a separate issue from the war on terrorism, and that Iraq is a failing venture. The cumulative effect of relentless negativity succeeds as Americans respond by calling for an end. You are the weakest link, goodbye.
Babalu: These elections were won by the MSM. It has been their coverage of the news - whether it's been about the economy, domestic policies, immigration, or, their favorite horse to beat: the War In Iraq - that has shaped public opinion. And it's through this shaping of public opinion and creation of "the issues" - brought about by distorted and slanted reportage from those esteemed members of the press who are overwhelmingly liberal in the views and opinions - that policy will now be set.
The Press at War: The mainstream media's adversarial stance, both here and abroad, means that whenever a foreign enemy challenges us, he will know that his objective will be to win the battle not on some faraway bit of land but among the people who determine what we read and watch. We won the Second World War in Europe and Japan, but we lost in Vietnam and are in danger of losing in Iraq and Lebanon in the newspapers, magazines and television programs we enjoy.
The Captain: Republicans have to go back to the basics -- and I don't mean the base. They need to settle on some First Principles before they calculate how to convince voters to trust them with governance again. Republicans have traditionally stood for fiscal discipline and a strong defense above all other issues. The GOP needs to return to those values first and keep them foremost when creating their strategies for 2008.
