The Unspoken Bargain

I believe Kerry supporters are making an unspoken bargain with our next president... we get you elected, you get us out of Iraq.

Sure, there are other things we expect of him as well, but i think Iraq is the central point. If we still have 100k+ troops in a shooting war in Iraq at the end of 2007, it'll be like LBJ in 1968 all over again.  He may as well not even run for nomination.  And if he does the sort of unilateral sudden withdrawl that the antiwar left wants and Iraq devolves further into chaos and civil war (or worse, WWIII), he won't win re-election in 2008.

And with that unspoken bargain in mind, i believe can infer some things about the next four years, and what we can do...

1. Democrats in Congress must act as a rubber stamp for Kerry on foreign policy issues.  This is a time for leadership, not consensus. Voters clearly trust Kerry's judgement on Iraq. The job of Congressional Dems is to make Kerry's job as easy as possible in this arena.

2. Republicans will see this too, and will deliberately sandbag Kerry whenever possible. We can count on some crossover support for a while, but expect sabotage.

3. We need to be patient in 2006. Even if Kerry is doing well, we'll probably have a significant Iraq presence then. There will probably be antiwar candidates chomping at the bit. We have to support Kerry's work even when it's slow and difficult. We probably won't take Congress back in 2004, but maybe we can take it in 2008.

4. Keep doing our most essential jobs... fact-checking the SCLM and GOP lies, and creating concensus among activists. And of course, providing an alternative form of fundraising so the old Establishment doesn't try to reassert their cozy corporate model on campaign financing again.

5. We can't forget all the other things that need to be addressed, either, but we need to keep Iraq up front. Kerry hoards his political capital, and he may not spend much of it on your pet issue. Cope!

6. If Kerry upholds his end of the bargain, and we uphold ours, here's what we have in 2008... success in Iraq, a growing economy, a sane Supreme Court, and a handful of little things to enjoy. And then we have a chance for a Democratic majority in Congress and a second term for Kerry in 2008. And a chance to seal a Democratic majority for a long time to come.

Just remember... the unspoken bargain goes both ways.