Hackett? What? Iraq? Who?

Did we all watch the same race unfold in Ohio? The DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee), while making the valid point that keeping their paws off the campaign till the very end kept the race focused local issues, just doesn't seem to get it. In a word, "Iraq."

David Sirota makes the point, here:

"Hackett, an Iraq War veteran, made headlines in the campaign for taking a strong position against the original decision to go to war in Iraq, even calling the President of the United States an SOB...

"Ultimately, the anti-war position defined his candidacy, and was the clear reason he was able to do so well in such a Republican district. That should be no surprise: polls have been telling us for months that America agrees with Hackett in believing going to war in Iraq was a mistake. Meanwhile, Americans' view of President Bush's handling of Iraq is at its lowest level ever.

"Incredibly, however, in a memo sent to all Democratic House Members about what Democrats should learn from the Hackett race, the DCCC makes not one mention of the Iraq War and its effect on the election. Not one."