Here’s what he says about Iraq: “The poll numbers on Iraq are terrible, and Congress tends to show less resolve than the country. That is a lesson from Vietnam. I’m not too worried about the president’s ability to rally the country if and when he has to. I am worried about his ability to rally the Congress because it tends to panic. I hate to say it because it’s so trite, but we’re not explaining what’s going on in Iraq, why it’s going on, and what the stakes were. When was the last time you heard the president make that case?” He adds that the Bush re-election campaign’s message on Iraq–which he characterizes as “we’re strong and they’re weak”–”worked fine” for the election, “I don’t think it works to build support for the policy.”
The same strategist has been an optimist on Social Security but says he “can’t give you the scenario any more” where reform gets enacted.
On the bright side: “We’re at the bottom of the cycle right now. Things can only get better. If I were the Democrats, I’d want us to be where we are now this time next year.”