There are no scoreboards in war. No referees, penalty flags, or coach’s challenges. And the metrics one side cares mightily about could be a non-factor to the other.
Which is why determining wins and losses is tricky.
Technically speaking, the United States “won” the Iraq War. We smashed their government, shattered their military, captured Saddam Hussein, and neutered Iraq’s capacity for mischief in the region. Our soldiers, sailors, pilots, and marines didn’t lose a single battle; the men and women of the U.S. military fought with honor, courage, and distinction.
But the cost in blood and treasure was immeasurable: In hindsight, it simply wasn’t worth it.
Nearly three centuries before the birth of Christ, King Pyrrhus of Epirus defeated the mighty Roman legion in Italy. But the cost was so great, the king famously quipped, “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined!”
This was the very first “Pyrrhic victory.” It certainly wouldn’t be the last.
The parallels between the now-failed “Schumer Shutdown” and President George W. Bush’s Iraq War are eye-opening:
- The Democrats’ shutdown “crusade” was launched with bold, undeliverable promises.
- The Democrats relied on bad intelligence.
- It was a “war of choice” to “defend democracy.”
- They didn’t have an exit strategy.
- It lasted far longer than its backers predicted.
- And then, when it was finally all over, the loss in blood and treasure wasn’t anywhere worth the cost. Not even close!
Of course, within a decade of the Iraq War, the neocons were almost entirely excised from the Republican Party. They were discredited, disgraced, and diminished, and their defeat directly paved the way for Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
It’s impossible to tell the story of the latter without acknowledging all the missteps of the former: Without the power vacuum left by the neocons, a Trump presidency was an impossibility.
"You kiddin’ me? A loud, boorish, brash-talking New York real estate developer taking the reins from the Republican Party of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove?! Yeah, right!"
They’d never allow it.
Which is why they had to be defeated first, leading to the ultimate irony of the Iraq War: In their quest to depose Saddam Hussein and engineer a “regime change” in the Middle East, the neocons inadvertently sowed the seeds of their own demise.
Ultimately, they ended up removing themselves from power.
But that’s the price political leaders pay when they bungle a war — when the loss of blood and treasure is immense, and the benefits infinitesimal. Historically, when leaders ask their subjects to suffer and sacrifice in a war of choice — and then, when the cannons stop roaring and the guns are silenced, there’s nothing to show for it — the citizens grab their pitchforks and storm the Bastille.
Chuck Schumer better sit with his back against the wall.
But because of his high-profile role as Senate minority leader, he can’t: He’s gotta be front and center, “selling” the success of the government shutdown, which lasted 40+ agonizing days, with bupkis to show for it.
And really, what choice does he have? If Schumer turns around and goes, “Whoops, my bad lol, that sure didn’t work,” the left-wing loons will put his head on a pike. He can’t acknowledge defeat: It would be political suicide!
Which is why he’ll claim victory, leading to his “Mission Accomplished” moment.
Regardless, the Democratic base is already in an uproar. Consider the slew of today’s headlines:
Axios: “It’s complete BS”: Dems go ballistic over Senate shutdown deal
USA Today: ‘Making this deal is malpractice.’ It’s Democrat vs. Democrat as shutdown nears end
Newsweek: Chuck Schumer Faces Democratic Fury After Government Shutdown Deal
Daily Beast: Furious Dem Civil War Immediately Erupts Over Bombshell Shutdown Deal
CNN: Democratic unity fractures, paving the way for the government to reopen
Wall Street Journal: Democrats Fume Over Deal to End Government Shutdown
The Atlantic: Senate Democrats Just Made a Huge Mistake
Axios: Democrats fold on biggest government shutdown demand
New York Times: Democrats Were on a Roll. Why Stop Now?
MSNBC: Senate Democrats blink on the shutdown after 40 days of pain
BBC: Bipartisan US shutdown deal will sharpen divisions among Democrats
Newsweek: Gavin Newsom Vents at Senate Democrats Over Shutdown Vote: ‘Betrayal’
We also have Democratic congressmen openly calling for Schumer’s scalp:
Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 10, 2025
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Much of the left-wing teeth-gnashing is too profane to be republished verbatim on our site, but this Mediaite article offered an excellent overview (NSFW).
The speed of the Democratic recriminations far exceeds the blowback against the neocons. It took years for public sentiment to turn against the Iraq War — and over a decade for the Republican Party to shake free of the Bushites/neocons influence, remaking itself in the MAGA image.
The Democrats are ahead of schedule, probably because this defeat was so frickin’ obvious.
Exclusively for our VIPs: PRedictions, PRojections, PRaise, and PRedators: Rewriting the MAGA Gameplan
Remember, the Democrats LOVE their government: To them, it’s the silver bullet solution to all of life’s problems. As New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said, “There is no problem too large for the government to solve, and no concern too small for it to care about.”
But as much as they love the government, they hate Trump even more. They hate Trump so much, they were even willing to destroy their beloved government!
And they did. For 40 days and 40 nights, the lights were off.
Now the lights are going back on, and they have nothing but destruction, chaos, and rubble to show for it. Schumer and the Dems thought they’d be showered with candy and embraced as liberators, but they bled the country, starved the people, confiscated paychecks, and shuttered the entire government, using federal employees as hostages.
Schumer turned our military members and air traffic controllers into human shields. For 40 agonizing days and nights, he used ‘em as bargaining chips — before walking away from the bargaining table with an empty hand.
He lost. You know it. I know it.
More importantly, THEY know it!
And now Chuck Schumer is spinning in rhetorical circles, à la Baghdad Bob.
There are consequences to losing a war of choice. Just ask the neocons.
One Last Thing: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Dems have finally caved. The Schumer Shutdown was never about principle, just inflicting pain for political points.
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