One further
thought apropos my recent post
on how to conduct partisan debates in an election cycle: Is it always unseemly
to claim partisan credit for a national security policy success? I think
the answer is no, but it is a delicate and highly fraught business.
The electoral imperative requires in-parties to claim that they have adequately
safeguarded America's national security, and that booting them from office will
jeopardize those gains. Likewise, out-parties face the same imperative
and make the equal-but-opposite claims. This was not invented by Karl
Rove nor by the Republicans, though of course it has been a staple of
Republican campaign rhetoric for decades. Yet, whether it is
bomber/missile gaps, "Daisy" commercials, pointed charges about a reckless
Reagan's finger on the button, bombast about coddling the "butchers in
Beijing," or the slash-and-burn critique offered by Gore, Kerry, and Obama in
three successive electoral cycles, Democrats have shown themselves to be
equally willing and capable of playing this basic game. There are no
slouches on either side of the aisle, so far as I can see.
We can bemoan this, but it is not like bemoaning tar balls; it is more like
bemoaning the tide. There is little point to complaining about it because
it originates from the structure, not from some temporary breach in the
structure.
There is a point, however, to policing the process and reflecting on noteworthy
high or low points in the saga. Which brings me to Vice President Biden's
recent trip to Iraq. I just can't decide whether it is a high or a low
point.
The situation in Iraq is quite fragile and knowledgeable insiders are worried
that it might be unraveling. Biden, however, gave an
exceptionally upbeat assessment. This is not the first time he has been so bullish on Iraq; he gave
many of the same sound-bites back in February, of course that was before the intervening five months of
political stalemate in Baghdad. I wanted to believe him then and I want
to believe him now.
What makes his recent comment so noteworthy are two new features. One, for
the first time, Biden shows a willingness to share the credit with President
Bush due to the legacy of the Iraq surge. The Obama White House have been
assiduous in avoiding crediting President Bush for anything positive,
especially in regards to the Iraq war, and so this can only be described as a
positive step.
I am less certain which side of the ledger I should tote the second noteworthy
feature: Biden's claim that because of all the alleged progress in Iraq, voters
will reward Democrats in the November elections. I know that when Karl
Rove and the Republicans made the analogous argument exactly 8 years ago, there
were howls of protest
about the politicization of national security. I haven't found examples of
these same pundits bashing Biden now for engaging in the same practice, but
perhaps they will do so soon (Note to self: Is hypocrisy among partisan
pundits more like the tide or more like tarballs?).
When I first read Biden's election comments, I found them a bit unseemly, not
to mention premature. The comment struck me as skating very close to
validating doubts that the reason for sticking with the arbitrary timeline in
Iraq is its utility as a talking point for the midterm election. It is
acceptable to let foreign policy achievements dictate campaign talking points,
but it is exceedingly risky business to let midterm electoral strategies
dictate foreign policy choices. But, assuming/hoping that is not the case
here, and upon further reflection, I am inclined to give him a pass. If
Biden's mission-accomplished boast really does get validated by the facts on
the ground, then I think he is right that Obama and Biden (remember,
Biden owns the Iraq file and so more than any other policy he owns
responsibility for success or failure) deserve credit (alongside many others
from both sides of the aisle). If things in Iraq turn out as Biden has
promised, then Team Obama will have ably handled a very difficult national
security matter and I, for one, would be happy to give them kudos.
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