Interesting case made by The Tiger in Somerville. Take note of this section:

Independent voters are not just socially liberal suburban women (Junior League Republicans, etc.). They are also tough blue collar men. They don’t like the Republicans on economics issues — they don’t care for free trade, globalization, anti-nanny statism, or any of that stuff. But they don’t like to lose — they’re proud, patriotic Americans. They are — I’m sure that you’re sick of the term, but it’s apt — Reagan Democrats…

People don’t like the situation in Iraq. If you poll them, they say that it wasn’t worth it, we shouldn’t be there, etc., etc. That is the data my Democratic friends rely upon, when they say that Senators Clinton and Obama’s positions on Iraq — withdrawal within 60 days of inauguration — are on solid ground. But — here’s the rub — they don’t want to lose. So around 55-60% of people at the same time have consistently been willing to follow the battle plan of General Petraeus.

The Democratic nominee is going to be running on a platform with the explicit plank of retreat and withdrawal from Iraq.

This is an elemental signal to this Reagan Democrat portion of the populace — they hear the words “retreat & withdrawal”, and they get images of helicopters leaving embassy roofs in their heads…

Their response — even people like Buchanan and Scarborough, both of whom thought that Iraq was and is a pretty bad idea, and who don’t like Senator McCain very much — is, “I’m damned if that’s going to happen again on my watch.”

Interesting to bring that up, as I hadn’t really thought of it before. If their minds wander to the disastrous consequences of surrender in Vietnam, would they not also arrive at remembering McCain’s sacrifice for America, which also happened to be during Vietnam?

(Via Glenn Reynolds)