We Win, They Lose

See, the Victory Caucus concept had always struck me as possibly the dumbest thing ever, but it's totally blown away by We Win, They Lose. I mean, just take the basic reference:

When it came to defeating the Soviets, Ronald Reagan made it simple: "We win, they lose." Now more than ever, the defeatists in Congress must hear that same message. America will never surrender.

I mean, which "they" are we trying to beat in Iraq? What would winning look like? If Nouri al-Maliki succeeds in consolidating control over Iraq more firmly, leaving a coalition of Iranian-backed Shiite parties firmly in charge, does that mean "we" win? What would we have won?

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2007/06/we-win-they-lose/40751/