Forget Tikrit -- the last stronghold of Saddam Hussein loyalists is none other than the good ol' Democrat Party, stateside Ba'ath affiliate. Wanna see some real Fedayeenies? Forget abandoned foxholes and bunkers in Baghdad. Try Odai troopers Susan Sarandon and Janeane Garofalo, regime remnants Rummy's dubbed the 'Dead-Enders' -- hard-core defenders of Saddam, whose ideological *checkpoints* prevent all them irksome facts and details -- oh, such as torture chambers, child prisons, the wonderful, fabulous, magnificent hellhole Saddam ran for a quarter century -- ever to enter the equation.

Nowhere is this clearer than liberal reaction to the Coalition victory over Saddam. At the New York Times, the highly respected Comedy Central of print "journalism," the anti-U.S. mood, if anything, has only hardened further since the fall of Baghdad. Among anti-Coalition forces in Hollywood, the gleeful destruction of public monuments to Saddam sent shock waves across Tinseltown, as did the wholesale repossession by locals of Hussein's humble palaces. Throughout the highly volatile Media East (ABC/NBC/CBS, suspected Saddam hideouts), a veritable siege mentality prevails as Ba'ath loyalists like Peter Jennings struggle in the hopeless aftermath of America's swift victory. Mentally, though lightly armed, Fedayeenies like Peter and Danny Rather still engage Coalition forces with fierce sporadic fire, such as complaining that it took 3 days (3 days!!) for the Marines to stop Baghdadis from acting like L.A. Lakers fans after winning a game. (For the life of me, can't think of another instance when Rodney King libs fussed and wailed about the lack of law and order, can you?).

"Well, it looks like we are about to win the war in Iraq," weeped noted military affairs expert 'Barbra' Streisand last week, adding "The U.S. military is so powerful that we can pretty much [attaq and] overpower any country we want at this point..." Poor Irak. Poor Saddam.

"But does that mean that we should?" asked noted geopolitical affairs expert 'Barbra Streisand.

"The 'thrill' of war and victory can become addicting," observed renowned psychological affairs expert 'Barbra' Streisand, but she warns that "it is time to start working towards peace. We can only hope that the [Iraki] people will soon have ... peace ... and that our own country resists resorting to violence, death and destruction to solve international problems." Hands off Irak! Hands off al-Qaeda!

As Streisand sees it, Saddam Hussein may not be the kind of guy you'd bring home to mother, but, hey, he ain't no Slobodan Milosevic either. Sure, Saddam's *offed* a million people or more, but Slobo's worse -- he's *offed* at least 5,000! (Barbra's unrivaled mastery of basic math and basic spelling leaves a strong and lasting impression on many, needless to say).

While the war has helped root-out and isolate pro-Saddam embeds of the body politic domestically, some Fedayeenies now claim they weren't really Fedayeenies at all. Or that others were Fedayeenies, but not they. Or that it's all some right-wing conspiracy to discredit Bush-haters.

"The argument now picking up a good head of steam among commentators on the right," observes Michael Tomasky, "is that we on the left, broadly defined, have disgraced ourselves by essentially cheering for our own country to lose the war."

Writing in the latest issue of The American Prospect, Tomasky allows that "Undoubtedly there was some rife nonsense floating around in left-wing circles...a hard-shell left that did indeed [wish harm on the troops.] This approach was typified by Columbia University assistant professor Nicholas de Genova...[who] wished, during hostilities, for 'a million Mogadishus,' a foul sentiment that crossed the line.."

To be fair, I agree with Tomasky on this point. For most on the Left, wishing a million Mogadishus was perhaps a bit much -- most would gladly settle for half a million Mogadishus. I mean, why get greedy, right?

In fact, I'd dare say even a quarter million Mogadishus would suffice -- nothing like bloody, house-to-house fighting and heavy coalition losses to help lift the mood on the Left. Or the 'haunting specter' of another Vietnam-style quagmire to cheer things up at The Nation. As it turns out, for the Garofalos and Streisands, this whole war has been a near-death experience, politically -- especially the low Coalition casualties.

In the aftermath of Saddam's defeat, the Left is shell-shocked and awed. For regime strongholds like Berkeley, these are dark days, indeed. Ask Baghdad Bob. Lately, the former propaganda Minister stands on street corners in Syria holding a "Will Lie For Food" cardboard sign, to no avail. Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon spend their days watching video of Saddam strolling the Mansur streets in Baghdad, but it's just not the same. Martin Sheen and Ed Asner can't stop sobbing. Rob Reiner keeps thinking it's all just a nightmare and that he'll wake up soon.

And, of course, Tommy Daschle is 'deeply, deeply saddened.'

;)

Anyway, that's...

My two cents