DLC - Political Cassandra

While I don't usually agree with their positions, I've long thought of the Democratic Leadership Council as the rational wing of the Donk Party. Their analysis of Dubya's political signals in last night's SOTU is pretty good:

In reacting to the president's address, DLC chairman Gov. Tom Vilsack compared Bush to a football coach who is so confident the opposition cannot stop a particular play that he is happy to signal it in advance. That's exactly right. Like the Pittsburgh Steelers running Jerome Bettis right up the middle so long as he continues to gain yardage, the GOP is going to run the national security play right at Democrats until they prove capable of effectively defending it. And this is basically what Bush's offensive coordinator, Karl Rove, told the Republican National Committee week before last.

So the challenge is very clear. Democrats must not only find a way to effectively critique the administration's stewardship of national security between now and November, but must also restore their own strength and credibility as smart and resolute warriors in the fight with jihadist terrorism.

Sound advice. And personally, I would be very happy if the Donks were to take it and put forth a viable candidate who genuinely possesses the strength and credibility spoken of here.

But that would mean the Party abandoning the tongue-swallowing, spittle-flying, vein-popping rhetoric of the Moonbat Left, that basically says the jihadist threat is nothing more than a bogey-man cooked up by HitlerMcShrimpyHalliLiarInChief as an excuse to unleash his sturmtruppen on Grandma while setting up as Alexander II and lining his pockets with ooooooooooooil revenues.

I think it unlikely that this will happen. Not only will the Moonbats not listen to the DLC, sooner or later this kind of suggestion may well convince them that the moderates are nothing more than a pack of weak-kneed turncoats. Then the knives will come out.

Yips! to Shay over at Dean's World, who has more thoughts on the subject.