GOP misses the irony in likening Dems to Chamberlain

GOP misses the irony in likening Dems to Chamberlain
BY NEIL STEINBERG SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
September 1, 2006
Copyright by Te Chicago Sun Times


November looms. The Republicans, desperate to dampen growing public unhappiness with the war in Iraq, seek a metaphor to hide behind and have struck upon Munich: The Democrats, they suggest, by criticizing the war in Iraq are now the equivalent of Neville Chamberlain, appeasing Adolf Hitler and ignoring the fascist -- or "Islamic fascist" -- menace.

Stirring stuff. But all metaphors are imperfect, and this one is really imperfect. First, recognizing a failure is not the same as surrender. And second, if we flip our history books open to 1940, no one on the American scene was keener to avoid confronting Hitler than the Republican Party. It's nice they've seen the light but, alas, a little late.