Seven Myths about '06

Rich Lowry has an interesting column today about the myths of the '06 election. I don't agree with everything on Lowry's list (I think fiscal irresponsibility played a role in discontent with Republicans) but most of it I would consider to be spot on.

This was an election that Republicans, with newly gerrymandered districts, shouldn't have been able to lose, yet they lost anyway. That says a lot about the way voters felt about Republican politicians. But that doesn't mean conservatives stayed home; it means that more moderates and independents chose Democrats this time. And who can blame them? Democrats ran good races and good candidates. For the most part, they simply had to stand back and force Republicans to defend the war and various scandals.

The biggest myth about the '06 election is that Americans want to withdraw from Iraq. That's not what Americans want. They want to win in Iraq, which is something that our leadership has been unwilling to do. According to at least one poll, 55% of Americans want more troops in Iraq, not less. So, while Democrats talk about timetables for withdrawals and whatnot, that still doesn't explain what Americans meant by this election.