Anti-Victory Democrats

In an earlier post I said this:

An anti-war Democrat, as I use the term, refers to a Democrat who opposed the invasion of Iraq (or believes now that it was a mistake) but recognizes the importance of not being defeated there. An anti-victory Democrat, by contrast, is one who has chosen to believe that victory is hopeless (i.e., that defeat is at hand) and who has further chosen to believe that the humbling of America would actually be a good thing. The phrase "anti-war" is often applied to both groups, but they are so different in their thinking that different labels should be applied. One is anti-war, the other, anti-victory.

I imagine that many Democrats would bristle at the distinction (denying, I would imagine, that many of them are actually anti-victory). They might not bristle anymore in light of the results of new Fox News Poll that you have probably heard of by now. Here is one key result from that poll:

Do you personally want the Iraq plan President Bush announced last week to succeed? (Yes/No/DK)

Democrats 51 / 34 / 15
Republicans 79 / 11 / 10
Independents 63 / 19 / 17

It is hard to believe that 34% of Democrats (and 11% of Republicans) admit to hoping that the plan will not succeed. The true number is likely to be higher than that because it is not terribly fashionable to admit that you are hoping that your own country is defeated. You've got to love Fox News for even asking that question. You won't find anything like that in the latest Newsweek poll, which was obviously composed by someone who inherently resonates to the way that those on the left think.

Consider the next question in the Fox News poll:

Do you think most Democrats want the Iraq plan President Bush announced last week to succeed and lead to a stable Iraq or do they want it to fail and for him to have to withdraw U.S. troops in defeat?

SCALE (1 / 2 / 3 / 4):
1. Most Democrats want Bush plan to succeed
2. Most Democrats want Bush plan to fail
3. (Some want one thing, some another)
4. (Don’t know)

Democrats 42 / 38 / 7 / 12
Republicans 21 / 67 / 7 / 5
Independents 30 / 42 / 11 / 17

The Democrats are evenly split on the question of whether their own party wants Bush's plan to fail (which, as the question says, means that US troops would withdraw in defeat). In other words, the Democrats themselves appreciate the anti-victory stance of many in their own party. Independents recognize that fact, too.

I was even more surprised when it became clear that many Democrats prefer defeat even though they realize that Osama bin Laden would claim victory:

If U.S. troops were to withdraw from Iraq before the country was stabilized, do you think Usama bin Laden would claim victory?

Democrats 52 / 33 / 14
Republicans 76 / 15 / 9
Independents 54 / 27 / 19

I just want to be clear about this: a substantial percentage of Democrats actively wants the US to fail in Iraq even while recognizing that it means that al Qaeda would succeed. Perhaps as many as one half feel this way (some of them secretly) given that it is not fashionable to admit ideas like this to a pollster.

It's common to hear the Democrats referred to as being "anti-war," but I think a finer distinction needs to be made. Some are anti-war, others anti-victory. They are not the same things.

Democrats often bristle at the suggestion that they are unpatriotic, but can't we all agree that the substantial percentage of Democrats who actively crave victory for al Qaeda over America in Iraq are unpatriotic? Not all Democrats, of course, but those who are, in effect, pulling for al Qaeda? Is it unfair in any way to suggest that they are unpatriotic? I don't think so, but I'd like to hear the counterargument. It also seems fair to regard these Democrats as being rather inhumane because, by their own admission, they do not want to see a stable Iraq if it would mean that Bush's plan is successful. Hoping for an unstable Iraq is hoping for thousands of civilian deaths per month. How could so many Democrats find themselves in that poisoned frame of mind?

Although, until now, I had never seen Democrats admitting their anti-victory views in a poll, I have previously noted that some liberal commentators openly treasure the idea of America's defeat:

For all of the anguish felt over the loss of American lives, can we acknowledge that there is something proper in the way that hubristic American power has been thwarted? Can we admit that the loss of honor will not come with how the war ends, because we lost our honor when we began it? This time, can we accept defeat?

Can we accept defeat at the hands of al Qaeda? No.