E.J. Dionne's column reverbrated with me after my perplexity over the views of some on the right that "Israel lost the war".

Militarily of course, that view is ridiculous, but we being so many political junkies, we can't help but view things in terms of propaganda victories and defeats--afterall, this is a democracy and people presumably vote based on what they think or have been led to think. In our world, perception is reality, or rather perception gets converted to reality. Convince Americans that we've lost the war in Iraq and --bingo! We lose the war in Iraq.

Yet Dionne's column highlights the maddening reality of American politics--Democrats consistently win the propaganda war ("owning" virtually all the media helps...), and yet consistently lose elections.

Democrats in particular have bought into the perception-is-reality myth that when reality slaps 'em upside the head after yet another lost election, they resort to fabulous conspiracy theories about electronic voting machines, disenfranchised black voters, bought-and-paid-for Supreme Courts and other patent nonsense. In 2004, the confidence in perception was so overwhelming that when Florida exit polls diverged significantly from the actual election results, they instantaneously assumed there was something wrong with the election. For reasons I'll never understand, they simply could not conceive how or why exit polls would be manipulated, even though Democrats have long made an art of manipulating polls to get "the right answer".

Even among the right, reliance on perception is not unknown. I've read several conservative blogs over the weekend that declared Israel the loser simply on the basis of Arab and left-wing media elan.

Yet Dionne has uncovered a larger truth that applies to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict as well as it does to American politics--the rhetoric is not the reality.

...The odd result is that Republicans, who defend individualism in theory, act like communitarians where their party is concerned. Democrats claim to be more community-minded but act like radical individualists in their penchant for candidate-centered, one-cause-at-a-time politics.

The organizational gap has spurred national Democrats to countermeasures. Emanuel has hired Michael Whouley, one of his party's premier organizers, to create turnout programs in the 40 most contested congressional races. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's two top staffers, J.B. Poersch and Guy Cecil, have long experience in field operations. The unions are kicking up their turnout efforts. And an anti-incumbent tide against the Republicans could counter the GOP's organizational advantages.

But Republicans -- from President Bush on down -- have long dismissed the fashionable claptrap about political parties becoming meaningless. If Democrats are to shed their self-image problem and create a durable majority, they, too, will have to learn to operate as a party.

Organization isn't sexy. It doesn't make your emotions soar like a good rousing speech or moral cause, but it wins elections--predictably, regularly.

Organization is a "facts-on-the-ground" reality that no amount of perception can change. Historically, very historically, the Celts were technologically and militarily the equals if not the superiors of the Romans. The had effective iron weapons and tactics. What they didn't have was the organizational genius of the Romans. The Celtic chieftain Vercingetorix managed to unite, with much difficulty, the celtic tribes to confront the Romans, but in the end, Rome's organizational advantages were the decisive factor in not just defeating the Celts, but keeping them under their thumb for half a millenium.

Dionne may hope and pray for victory this fall, but give him credit--he knows that long-term, the Republican organization advantage is going to be decisive in creating a long term political hegemony.

Similarly, Hezbollah, Iran and Syria can push their narrative all they want, but in the end, the rhetoric is meaningless. What will count are hard facts. The inescapable facts are that south Lebanon is a ruin and Hezbollah is greatly diminished. That may not be a permanent condition, but a lot of things will have to go right for Hezbollah and their sponsors. They are now relying on the good will of their rivals in Lebanon (and they are such nice people...), and the absence of competition from Israel, the U.S. and the numerous Sunni Arab states in filling the power gap.

Good luck with that.

And to the Democrats too...