Justin Webb's America

The best holiday

• Justin Webb
• 22 Nov 07, 03:01 PM GMT

Happy Thanksgiving! It is probably a bit uncool to be blogging on this sacred day (NB for readers outside the US, this is the biggest and the best American holiday; uniquely and brilliantly American in that it is secular if you want, religious if you want, but always and throughout the land focused on the simple homespun fondness of family).

Anyway a number of you voiced reasoned (and reasonable) scepticism about my suggestion that the Democrats misunderstand the vibe of the moment when they concentrate so heavily on getting out of Iraq rather than winning (whatever that could mean at this late stage).

But the drip-drip of stories suggesting significant change in Iraq continues – first with the New York Times and most recently the British Financial Times. I am not suggesting for a minute that Iraq is fixed – and that is not the suggestion of these stories – but the mood seems to be importantly upbeat and the Democrats could surely do themselves damage if they miss the boat.

They don’t need to embrace the war, but they need to recognise that there might be more options about how to end it than seemed to be the case until recently. To be anti-war but pro-success seems to me to be a reasonable and defensible position.

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