Picking up on BooMan’s excellent “How To Lose A War and Influence People,” let’s dissect Hiatt’s highly selective rundown of Democrats’ performance during this war. More critical, yet, let’s look at who’s doing the hard thinking and who’s along for the ride.
First, it’s utterly astonishing that Fred Hiatt’s editorial — and I’ve read all of it — leaves out the most important stand-up Democrat on Iraq, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania).
Secondly, Hiatt fails to distinguish clearly between the Democrats who have used the war as campaign fodder (and there ARE some Dems who’ve done that) versus the stand-up hard-thinkers who are willing to, as my mom used to encourage us, “Tell it like it is.” Armando writes:
The great divide on the Right has begun. Those with self respect and honor. And those who do not. How they are lining up is not surprising. The Limbaugh and Liars stand together. The smarter and more honorable ones separate.
The same can be said of two other groups: Democrats and the military (retired and active). Among the “tell it like it is” heroes:
- On Thursday, Cotterperson posted John Murtha’s resolution to get us out of Iraq … “Section 1. The deployment of United States forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date …” (more below)
- Last night, I listened to Lt. Gen. William E. Odom (Ret.), as a member of a refreshingly blunt panel discussion, “Solutions for Iraq” aired on Booktv.org/C-Span2. (The Feb. 16, 2006 panel will be reaired at 6:20 am ET tomorrow.) The transcript from The Independent Institute, which sponsors such events, is not yet up, so I checked Democracy Now!’s archives because I remembered that Amy Goodman interviewed Gen. Odom last October. It was October 4, 2005, to be precise, and the title of the interview is:
Ret. Army General William Odom: U.S. Should “Cut and Run” From Iraq
If that isn’t telling it like it is — from the mouths of a Democrat and a great military leader — then, Mr. Hiatt, you’d better check the mirror for which part of you comprises your head and which is your ass.
Especially, Mr. Hiatt, when newspapers like yours refuse to print Gen. Odom’s op-ed piece last October on why we should “cut and run” from Iraq. (It’s critical to recall, and remind others, that Gen. Odom submitted his op-ed to the NYT, but the NYT editors never responded to him despite their past acceptance of at least 20 of his op-eds in the past. He finally got it printed at AntiWar.com, and discussed on Democracy Now! as well as the Feb. 16, 2006 forum.
Then Hiatt actually has the nerve to admonish Democrats to be as “responsible and fiercely critical … as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has [acted] throughout the war.” (More of that segment below the fold.)
More below:
After telling Democrats to emulate john McCain, Hiatt goes on:
When they pull a stunt such as insisting on a secret Senate session, it could be to debate Bush’s policies on torture and detention. They could ask whether everything possible is being done to furnish the Iraqi army with protective armor. They could question whether anyone inside the administration is focusing with the same urgency on prodding Iraqi politicians toward compromise as are America’s ambassador and top generals in the field.
Individual Democratic senators have focused on individual questions such as these (for example, Michigan’s Carl Levin on torture), but for the caucus and its leader, Harry Reid (Nev.), the key questions are all about history.
Not a word about John Murtha — who famously hears the whispers of the generals! Not a word about countless other Democratic legislators like Jim McDermott and Cynthia McKinney who’ve fought this war long before it began.
And, now, from Cotterperson‘s post of John Murtha’s resolution
John Murtha has a plan to support our troops.
Why should they have to suffer and die any more for the corporatocracy’s invasion? The resolution is hung up in committee, and most Dems don’t support it. Is it too late?
Whereas more than $277 billion has been appropriated by the United States Congress to prosecute U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan;
Whereas, as of the drafting of this resolution, 2,079 U.S. troops have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom;
Whereas U.S. forces have become the target of the insurgency,
Whereas, according to recent polls, over 80% of the Iraqi people want U.S. forces out of Iraq;
Whereas polls also indicate that 45% of the Iraqi people feel that the attacks on U.S. forces are justified;
Whereas, due to the foregoing, Congress finds it evident that continuing U.S. military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the people of Iraq, or the Persian Gulf Region, which were cited in Public Law 107-243 as justification for undertaking such action;
Therefore be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That:
Section 1. The deployment of United States forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date.
Section 2. A quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S Marines shall be deployed in the region.
Section 3 The United States of America shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy. Murtha’s Resolution
Latest Major Action: 11/17/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. Thomas
Note: The last line is Cotterperson’s signature, with a link to yet more.
……………………………….
This was part of Amy’s introduction of Gen. Odom on October 4, 2005:
What’s Wrong with Cutting and Running? That’s the question asked by retired Army general William Odom about the continued US military presence in Iraq.
Odom served as director of the National Security Agency under President Reagan. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, the Army’s senior intelligence officer. He is now a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington.
He recently said, “The invasion of Iraq I believe will turn out to be the greatest strategic disaster in U.S. history.”
In his article [printed at antiwar.com — elsewhere?], Odom writes, “The wisest course for journalists might be to begin sustained investigations of why leading Democrats have failed so miserably to challenge the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The first step, of course, is to establish as conventional wisdom the fact that the war was never in the U.S.” interests and has not become so.”
Lt. Gen. William Odom, served as director of the National Security Agency under President Reagan from 1985 to 1988. From 1981 to 1985, he served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, the Army’s senior intelligence officer. He is now a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington.
Last October, Mr. Hiatt, Gen. Odom told Amy Goodman:
So partisan — this is not a partisan politics issue. Congressman Walter Jones, who can hardly be called a conservative is a very – I mean, a liberal, is a very conservative Republican from North Carolina, who invented the term “freedom fries” to replace the “French fries” label, has now enrolled a resolution to Congress, calling for a withdrawal.
And I was surprised to get calls from him, asking me to come over and attend a small press conference that he had, where he has a small group of Republicans and an equal number of Democrats behind this.
And the point I made – the only reason I went and joined them was that I would rather see people on Bush’s side and responsible mainline Democrats carry this issue than let it go out to the fringes. And that’s where it’s headed.
That’s where it is headed, Mr. Hiatt.
