Brendan Nyhan

Notes on the Iraq withdrawal debate

Media Matters documents the inevitable accusation that Democrats who support withdrawal are aiding the enemy, which came, bizarrely, from Geraldo on Fox News:

I’ve known John Kerry for over 35 years. Unlike me, he is a combat veteran, so he gets some props. But in the last 35 years, I’ve seen a hell of a lot more combat than John Kerry. And for a smart man like that in a political ploy to set a date certain only aids and abets the enemy, and the Democrats are at their own self-destructive behavior once again.

Meanwhile, Kerry sent his supporters an email touting the 13 votes he got for his withdrawal resolution (PDF). 13 votes! What a victory!

Update 6/24 6:59 PM The RNC used the same line:

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt offered a harsher appraisal, saying that the Democratic divisions add up to “surrender to the terrorists.”