Right wing pundits crow; left wing pundits declare America ungovernable. Why? because instead of accepting defeat, Bush opted for victory in Iraq. Those, who interpreted the 2006 election as a vote for accepting defeat the way the British have, feel betrayed. British Clive Crook is so upset that he is ready to chuck the American constitution:

Checks and balances are all very well, but sometimes you have to wonder. . . . Seizing control of House and Senate in the 2006 elections, the Democrats had big ideas about holding the Bush administration to account, forcing a prompt withdrawal from Iraq and radically realigning the government’s domestic priorities. Measured against those early promises, their record has been dismal.

Actually, American democracy worked perfectly well. In 2004 the American people voted for the man who promised to stay the course in Iraq and continue the fight against violent Islamists. Following his victory, George W. Bush put aside that mandate and focused on “fixing” Social Security.

The result? Not only a failed domestic and foreign policy but serious set backs in the war against terror, most particularly in the Iraqi battlefront.

The American people expressed their disgust with Bush’s incompetence by voting for democrats in 2006. They did not vote for defeat. They voted against staying a losing course. Bush heard and acted. He found a general not only willing to fight but also willing to ask for the means to do so.

Yes, democracy works though not always in the manner preferred by the transnational elites. The American people do not yearn for war. The opposite is true. But once they commit to a fight, they do expect their leaders to make the investments needed for victory and will turn on those who do not.

That was the real meaning of the 2006 elections and those who understand it will win the 2008 elections as they have one every single elections during the Cold War. American do not elect defeatists, if they can help it.  And they punish those who mislead them.  Power seekers beware.