President Bush Wednesday night laid out his plans for a troop "surge" in Iraq as part of an effort root out terrorists in Baghdad.

(I say terrorists and not "insurgents" because the primary target nowadays of the violence is Iraqi civilians, not American "occupying forces.")

It's obvious that mistakes have been made in pacifying Iraq. The initial campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein's government was textbook. The effort to build a functioning, democratic government from the ashes has been far less so.

Will a troop "surge" combined with political, diplomatic and economic reforms bring an end to the violence?

I don't know.

I do know that pulling our troops out (or "redeploying" in liberal-speak) right now would only act to increase the violence and probably turn Iraq into a failed state -- another Somalia.

When the Democrats call for "redeployment" remember what the "mommy party" is pushing for: the murders of tens and maybe hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children due to sectarian violence and generalized lawlessness.

The same party that complains about Darfur and did nothing about Rwanda is perfectly willing to let it happen again.

"Never again?" That's long been a broken promise in the wake of the Holocaust.

It's possible that this is unwinnable. There are some who believe -- and they may be right -- that Iraqis, Arabs, Muslims can't "do" democracy. Maybe they're right. Of course, the same thing was said by some about the Japanese 60 years ago.

For months the Democrats have been calling for the president to try a new tack, to take a different direction. What they weren't saying was that only one direction would do: surrender.

The same people who were complaining two years ago that there weren't enough troops to do the job and that President Bush was being pigheaded by failing to overrule his generals (who said they had plenty of soldiers) are now condemning him for not heeding the same generals who helped craft the failed policy in the first place.

Make no mistake, in this the Democrat party has been despicable. They put their political fortunes above the lives of American soldiers and the safety of the American people. They root for failure, no matter what the ultimate cost to the nation.