Dems - Change Your Rhetoric

Thomas Friedman says Democrats should stop suggesting everything happening in Iraq is bad - I agree complaining, gripping, or simply devaluing every action simply discredits any possibly valid point. However, I guess to my delight, Mr. Friedman will be disappointed if he believes the Democrats with their new leader Howard Dean plan to change their rhetoric - maybe after the loosing more seats in 2006 - I say keep the vile hate speech like Howard Dean's, "I hate Republicans and what they stand for", coming! Some hightlights:

I think there is much to criticize about how the war in Iraq has been conducted, and the outcome is still uncertain. But those who suggest that the Iraqi election is just beanbag, and that all we are doing is making the war on terrorism worse as a result of Iraq, are speaking nonsense.

Here's the truth: There is no single action we could undertake anywhere in the world to reduce the threat of terrorism that would have a bigger impact today than a decent outcome in Iraq. It is that important. And precisely because it is so important, it should not be left to Donald Rumsfeld.

Democrats need to start thinking seriously about Iraq - the way Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton have. If France - the mother of all blue states - can do it, so, too, can the Democrats. Otherwise, they will be absenting themselves from the most important foreign policy issue of our day.