This should change the rhetoric from the Democratic candidate … as soon as its determined who that is. Without the normal period of time to gradually move to the center to appeal to the majority of the country as candidates of both parties do, the Dems are likely to get whiplash this time.

The polling is moving on the Iraq war: 53% say the US will succeed, up 11 points from two years ago. An even bigger jump in the number of people who think the effort is “going well” … a 60% increase (from 30% to 48%). Half of the general election target demographic, “independents”, now say that the US should stay in Iraq until the “situation has stabilized.”

Source: The Politico, citing a Pew Research study.

The Democratic candidate will have to move to the center between the convention – September – and early November. Look for a coordinated campaign to declare “amazing success” with sudden recognition from Congressional Democrats of gains made on the ground over the last 18 months. Some means of attributing it to the Democratic candidate will be cooked up and served to an uncritical press.

I wonder if it will fool anyone.

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