ZELL MILLER SAYS it’s 1972 all over again for the Democrats.

This is unfair. In 1972, there was a Democratic position on the Vietnam war. Right now, there’s no Democratic position on Iraq. But Miller’s conclusion makes it sound like he’s giving the Democratic Party one last chance:

I believe this tale demonstrates that no matter how it is articulated, no matter how laudable or well intended, the antiwar, peace-at-almost-any price position is a loser for Democrats.

Oh, it will stimulate the extreme left, no doubt about that. And they are the key to the primaries. They will put their money, their emotions, their make-believe president Martin Sheen and even Ms. Streisand’s vocal cords behind it.

But before we suffer, as Yogi Berra said, déjà vu all over again, let’s rewrite the ending of this movie. Let’s send the message that our party realizes the country faces a threat far different and far more deadly than it did in 1972. Today’s war is on our own soil with terrorist cells lurking perhaps even in our own states and neighborhoods. Let’s respond with strength and boldness, not with the same old failed script that doomed us 30 years ago.

I’ve pooh-poohed talk of him switching over to the Republican side — but if the Democratic Party lurches in a McGovernite direction, it might happen.