Power Line: Defeatist Triumphalism at the Times

The liberal blogosphere is pointing to Hindrocket's beginning the "Mother of All Blame Games":



Power Line: Defeatist Triumphalism at the Times: "there is only one man whose views about Iraq will really matter for the next three and a half years. His name is George W. Bush, and he isn't going to cut and run. Nor can Rich and his ilk significantly impede the efforts of America's armed forces.



"In the medium and long term, what happens in Iraq is up to the Iraqis. It is certainly possible that they might forfeit what the Bush administration and America's armed forces have given them: a chance at freedom and the opportunity to live in peace with their neighbors. But if the Iraqis fail, it won't be because liberals stampeded the United States into abandoning them."



If the coming perfect storm is the narrative refuge of the liberal, fearful of the consequences of Bush's catastrophic Presidency, and "hopeful" that Bush will at least be blamed for his failures, the above is the narrative refuge of the Right Wing: blame the liberals.



Bush is the tool of a vast movement, whose aim is to establish an authoritarian plutocracy at home and an Empire abroad. They have adopted the rhetoric of liberalism, though. They have pretended to want to establish democracy in Iraq. And, as they fail in their pretended aims, they will blame the liberal Democrats, who, in fact, have been completely out of power during the whole sorry adventure. And, they will continue to scheme to achieve their real aim: an American Empire, dominating the world (and, not incidentally, the world's oil supply). Even more, they will cling to power.



If the faint, perverse hope of liberals is that the vast right-wing conspiracy might be swept away in the debris of their own catastrophic failure, the hope of the right-wing is that the falling debris will fall on the liberals. No matter the degree to which liberals may judge the consequences of the actions of BushCo to be undesirable, the right will continue to build an authoritarian state and American Empire. They are determined to drive liberalism out of American politics. And, if they are given half a chance to "hooverize" some hapless Democrat, for acting in even a half-way responsible way, they will do it.



They have their narrative script ready, and they will repeat it endlessly. That may be all it takes.