http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1843512,00.htmlThe Republican party has launched a major attack to portray the Democrats as against the Iraq war and caught in the grip of an extremist fringe that wants to pull out of the conflict.
In television ads, newspaper columns and television interviews Republican politicians and conservative commentators have branded Democrats as weak in the 'war on terror'.
The move is paving the way for the vital November mid-term elections to be fought on national security with a bitter campaign echoing the 1968 presidential election fought against the background of the Vietnam war.
The shift in gear comes in the wake of last week's stunning defeat of Democrat Joe Lieberman in a primary election for Lieberman's Connecticut seat in the Senate. A former vice-presidential candidate, Lieberman was a high-profile supporter of the invasion of Iraq. But he was defeated by an anti-war candidate, Ned Lamont, sending shock waves through the Democratic party and prompting celebrations among anti-war Democrats.