I have found myself both depressed and elated by the current state of our candidates. I have come to love Barack and everything he stands for; I think he is right on every single issue, across the board.
And as a long time Hillary-hater, watching him vanquish her has been sheer joy!
But, I have also come to the personal conclusion that there is no way Barack can win the general election. And a recent Time Magazine article provided a single sentance quote that crystallized why I believe this.
I want to be very clear here, 1) I don't write too many serious diaries, but this is one. And 2) I have been STRONGLY opposed to IRAQ since the beginning. Indeed, my opposition to Iraq, and a feeling that we needed a candidate who would pull our troops out immediately, is what led me to DKos.
And I haven't changed that view. I want our troops out of Iraq today!
But that position is also a loser for whoever is running for President. It may be the right thing to do, but it will NEVER win in this upcoming General Election.
I thought at one time that it would, given the 75% disapproval of the war. But things have changed in Iraq, and leaving without creating a complete disaster is no longer politically possible.
When things are bad and you leave and they get worse, no one minds. Indeed the sense is that we got out just in time.
But when the perception is that things are okay and you leave and the outcome is genocide...you lose. And that is Barack's (and my) unfortunate position.
The quote that started all of this was from Bobby Ghosh's current article in Time. Buried at the end is the most damning thing an anti-Iraq occupation person can hear:
"Every Iraqi...is praying for a McCain victory".
Simple as that.
When you are the occupier, and the occupied are begging you to stay, you have to stay. Period.
Six months ago, this wasn't true, but it is today. The Iraqi's have seen the promise of "peace" and don't want to give it up. And unfortunately, the position that Barack has staked out (as did I) is to leave ASAP. And that position is no longer politically tenable.
We have to stay, whether we like it or not. Politically, if we leave now, and things fall apart, whoever does the leaving will be blamed...likely more than Bush.
Part of me doesn't want Barack put in that position. But I also believe that as people start to understand that leaving is not an option, and Barack is for leaving, they will turn from him.
I don't like where I am on this. And I don't like where we are as a party on this. It's a trap and I can't see anyway out of it.
I still can't bring myself to HOPE for Barack to lose, so he doesn't have to deal with this. But I cannot bring myself to believe he can win, either.
I am in agony over this! But I don't know what other conclusion to come to.
Thanks for listening.