Since 9-11 the GOP has been running on a jingoistic and criminally belligerent belief that the American people are a bunch of brown-person-hating huns and oil-hungry imperialists who would rather not be bothered by the details of international law, atrocities committed abroad in our name by our leaders, the stunning waste of our national treasure, and the death and dismemberment of our troops.
Americans, as it turns out, are a bunch of pinko-commie-yellow-bellied-francophile-surrender-monkeys who want to end the war. The American people are tired of flag-waving an breast-beating. They want a plan, but we're the only ones offering one.
At last night's debate Sarah Palin attempted to stoke nationalistic fires by raising the red flag on the white flag:
Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq and that is not what our troops need to hear today, that's for sure. And it's not what our nation needs to be able to count on. You guys opposed the surge. The surge worked. Barack Obama still can't admit the surge works.
We'll know when we're finished in Iraq when the Iraqi government can govern its people and when the Iraqi security forces can secure its people. And our commanders on the ground will tell us when those conditions have been met. And Maliki and Talabani also in working with us are knowing again that we are getting closer and closer to that point, that victory that's within sight.
Now, you said regarding Sen. McCain's military policies there, Sen. Biden, that you supported a lot of these things. In fact, you said in fact that you wanted to run, you'd be honored to run with him on the ticket. That's an indication I think of some of the support that you had at least until you became the VP pick here.
You also said that Barack Obama was not ready to be commander in chief. And I know again that you opposed the move he made to try to cut off funding for the troops and I respect you for that. I don't know how you can defend that position now but I know that you know especially with your son in the National Guard and I have great respect for your family also and the honor that you show our military. Barack Obama though, another story there. Anyone I think who can cut off funding for the troops after promising not to is another story.
Palin, in her folksy "say-nothing" style, once again moves the goal-posts on an Iraq withdrawal. Rather than when the Iraqis--you know, the people whose country we invaded and continue to occupy--say so, Palin wants to wait until our commanders in Iraq tell us that it’s time. This is a perverse inversion of both the sovereign rights of the Iraqi people, and of the concept of being "Commander in Chief."
Unfortunately for the gimped and beleaugured McCain/Palin ticket (and good for you America!) this didn't go over well with a CNN's focus group of Uncommitted Ohio Voters,* you know Ohio, where Obama is supposed to be having trouble. Nielsen's focus group of yielded similary resultsUncomitted Voters in Las Vegas.
According to the "reaction meters" this was one of Palin's worst moments in the debate. In fact, both focus groups not only reacted very negatively to Palin's jingoistic pleas, they reacted very positively to Joe Biden's description of Obama's Plan:
Gwen, with all due respect, I didn't hear a plan. Barack Obama offered a clear plan. Shift responsibility to Iraqis over the next 16 months. Draw down our combat troops. Ironically the same plan that Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq and George Bush are now negotiating. The only odd man out here, only one left out is John McCain, number one. Number two, with regard to Barack Obama not quote funding the troops, John McCain voted the exact same way. John McCain voted against funding the troops because of an amendment he voted against had a timeline in it to draw down American troops. And John said I'm not going to fund the troops if in fact there's a time line. Barack Obama and I agree fully and completely on one thing. You've got to have a time line to draw down the troops and shift responsibility to the Iraqis.
We're spending $10 billion a month while Iraqis have an $80 billion surplus. Barack says it's time for them to spend their own money and have the 400,000 military we trained for them begin to take their own responsibility and gradually over 16 months, withdrawal. John McCain -- this is a fundamental difference between us, we'll end this war. For John McCain, there's no end in sight to end this war, fundamental difference. We will end this war.
It's not the "economy, stupid," and it's not "the war, stupid," it's the fact that our team has a plan, and the will to implement it. It’s the fact that the American people are ready for change and tired of being lied to about Iraq. Palin offered to continue the Bush Administration’s platitudes, asymptotic goal-posts, and jingoistic calls for nationalism. Joe Biden offered Barack Obama’s blueprint for a withdrawal from Iraq and a return to a peace-loving society.
The American People are responding with the biggest "reaction meter" we’ve got: they’re voting for Obama/Biden 08.
*Sorry, I don't embed video in my diaries as it leads to trouble loading the page.