Republicans claim that Democrats are making the same mistake on Iraq that Newt Gingrich made when he shut down the federal government a decade ago.

They say the Democrats will emerge from the congressional showdown over Iraq looking weak and untrustworthy – just like in the 70s and 80s.

Not happening.

The Republicans are dreaming if they believe that Bush will win this war for public opinion. Or that he can do the same judo on Reid and Pelosi that Bill Clinton did on Gingrich.

In 1995, Americans were mad at Clinton. They had elected a centrist New Democrat, but they got an old-time liberal. Clinton realized it, and he changed. Then he proceeded to run circles around Gingrich and Bob Dole.

Bush isn’t changing. He can’t change. And that’s his problem. After 9/11, Americans admired what they thought was his determination. After four years in Iraq, they realize it’s not determination. It’s bull-headedness. Bull-headedness exacerbated by know-it-all smugness. And plain old incompetence.

Americans are ready to get out of Iraq. This is not Vietnam. There is no way to argue this time that we are losing because Americans don’t support the troops.

Americans now believe that Bush got us into the wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place. Instead of going after the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11, he went after a dictator who had nothing to do with 9/11. Instead of making us safer, he has about got us into a world war with Islam.

The American people are fed up with it. So they elected a Democratic Congress last year to stop it. The Democrats have to keep that promise.

Next, Democrats need to show that they’re serious about going after the real terrorists. Show that they can be trusted to protect America.

Then Democrats will have the edge on foreign affairs – as well as domestic issues – for years to come.