A powerful and intriguing view of the war from writer Tish Durkin over at Huffpo. Durkin, who spent time over there, really lights into the anti-war group for acting smug, and seeming to take pleasure in the bad news from Iraq.

"Finally, what depresses me, and makes me despise so much war criticism even when I agree with it, is that so many of those positing it seem so happy about what's gone wrong. They seem to relish the probability that Iraq will get worse and worse so that they can be righter and righter."

Durkin has every right to declare her opinions, but I'm struck at how often she complains about the generalizations about Iraq, then launches into the generalizations about the anti-war movement.

I speak to a lot of folks who are opposed to the war, some more vehement than others. Not a single one has held any glee over the deaths of our soldiers. Not a single one. Maybe Durkin talks to different folks than I do, or on the other hand, maybe she sees ghosts where there are none.

Durkin also decries the overall discussion about the war.

"That's what drives me crazy about the whole American discussion of Iraq now: it's treated as being so damned simple, when, if you care about the Iraqis at all, it's anything but."

I absolutely agree that there is no simple solution to Iraq. There never was, which is completely contrary to the way the war was sold to the American public. I know that Durkin mainly focused her article on the anti-war left, but if there is no simple answer to Iraq, wouldn't that validate the anti-war Left's reluctance to get involved in the first place?

I'm also struck at the kind of duality of the memes that ensnare Democrats - either they're derided as divided over Iraq, or needled, as Durkin does, for putting forth the simplistic answer of just leaving Iraq. It's completely illogical (though that won't stop the press or Republicans) for the Left to be attacked as being divided on Iraq and while at the same time being attacked for putting forth only one simplistic answer to Iraq.

In fact, Democrats do have differing views on how to handle the Iraq situation. Joe Biden has been pushing for a partition of Iraq, and even though he's a senior Senator running for President, nobody ever mentions this as a Democratic strategy. It's not a simple answer , so it doesn't fit nicely into the typical article, thus it gets ignored, Durkin's article included.

Ultimately, it seems Durkin's biggest problem with the anti-war Left is they're not humble enough in their opinions. Maybe she was in Iraq when those opposed to the war were labeled as traitors. Maybe she didn't hear that those opposed to torture were scorned for being "soft on terrorists." Maybe she missed the press conferences where the Left was accused of aiding and abetting the enemy. Because if she heard those things, she would understand that the anti-war left isn't gleeful about all the pain and suffering in Iraq. She'd understand that the Left is just happy that we've moved being the lies and the rhetoric, and that we might just be getting America back.