First of, go look at this poll: 58% of Americans want our troops out of Iraq by 2008. 52% want Congress to cut off spending for any new deployments (i.e., “surges”).
Then look at this story: Cheney attacks Democrats as weak on the war, and as appeasing terrorists.
In a speech to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, Cheney said even discussion of a withdrawal tells “the enemy to watch the clock and wait us out.”
And an actual pullout would send an even worse message, he said.
“If terrorists conclude attacks will change the behavior of a nation, they will attack the nation again and again,” he said. “The only option for our security and survival is to go on the offensive … until our enemy is destroyed.”
Then go read BooMan from last night regarding the Democrats caving in to Bush by removing language from the supplemental bill on Iraq that would (a) defund the war if Bush refuses to remove troops from Iraq by the Fall, 2008; and (b) require Bush to get Congress’ approval before attacking Iran.
Thus, my title.
(cont.)
The majority of Americans want us out of Iraq. It’s why the Democrats won both houses of Congress in last year’s midterm elections. No one except a bunch of diehard neoconservatives and the bloogers at conservative hate sites like Free Republic.com and little green footballs want to attack Iran. Yet, here we sit, nearing the ides of March, 2007, no closer to reining in the Bush administration regarding its continuing pursuit the most disastrous and immoral foreign policy in our nation’s history.
I’m not here to chide the Democratic leadership. I suspect they are doing all that they can do. But sadly, not enough Democrats understand that they won’t be blamed for losing Iraq if they seek to bring the troops home, and stop the bleeding, literally and figuratively, of our troops and our resources.
So what do we do about it? Again, I point you to BooMan’s front page post yesterday, A Party Within a Party for the answer. Progressives need to recapture the Democratic party from within, much as the Conservative movement captured the Republican party in the 89’s and 90’s. On the national level, that means Congressional Democrats who refuse to vote in favor of the progressive agenda need to be punished with primary challenges until they are either replaced or adopt progressive goals as their own, as evidenced by their voting record in Congress.
On the state level, it means that we must actively participate in local Democratic politics and push for “movement progressives” to run for all levels of elective office, from sheriffs to local school boards, from city council members to mayors, and from State legislators to governors. This is the only approach that will see real change in the political landscape.
The people in charge of the Republican party are either insane or ideologues or both. The people in charge of the Democratic party right now, unfortunately, are Republican enablers. They’ve gotten used to the bullying. They’ve come to depend on DLC trained consultants to tell them how to vote and how to run their campaigns by running to the mythical center. Hillary Clinton is a classic example of such a politician, beholden to a political strategy that only her husband has ever been able to make work. I fear Barack Obama is becoming another example of this failed approach.
The only way forward for liberals/progressives is a revolution — from the inside. We must purge the Democratic ranks of as many of the old style triangulators, centrists and poll driven politicians as we can over the next several election cycles. Once they have been removed from power and replaced with true progressives whose victories are a direct result of our support and our efforts, we can truly begin to change the face of American politics, shifting the “center” leftward. Until then we will continue to see many Democrats talk tough to appease their most progressive followers, and then turning around and voting in favor of the “establishment approved” (read DLC) agenda when they think we aren’t paying attention.
Time to start letting them know we are watching them, and that we will exact a price for their betrayal of our values.
