[Crossposted at My Left Wing]
The low point in our political debate on Iraq was reached when the Democratic leadership in Congress immediately conceded the right-wing ‘argument’ that those who want to stop funding the occupation are endangering the troops, who will be defenseless, armorless and bulletless if we don’t keep giving Bush all the money he demands. An ‘argument’ so stupid simply could not have been made (and wasn’t made) when people were fighting to end the Vietnam War. YES, IT WOULD’VE BEEN TOO F#@$KING STUPID EVEN FOR A SLIMEY WARMONGER! But now it is made, and fully accepted by the Democratic leadership in Congress, and it successfully blots out the real debate (whether we should stay or leave), ‘forcing’ the poor Democrats to fully fund Bush’s occupation out of fear of the ‘don’t support the troops’ accusation.
So with Nancy Pelosi and her ‘peace’ Congress failed, no it is not time to follow Jim Webb down his ‘better occupation’ warpath. Nope, in my humble opinion we’d better listen to Sean Penn’s brilliant Letter to President Bush, presented at Rep. Barbara Lee’s Town Hall meeting on Iraq. Saw it a few hours ago on C-SPAN but couldn’t find a transcript. But here’s my own of the beginning of the speech [OOOPs, later I found the whole letter, which more or less replicates what Penn said in Oakland]:
Sean Penn’s Letter to President Bush
Mr. President, Mr. Cheney, Ms. Rice et al,
Indeed America has a rich history of greatness, indeed is still today a devastating military super power. And because in the absence of a brave Congress or a mobilized citizenry, that level of power lies in your hands. It is you who have misused it to become our country’s, and Constitution’s most devastating enemy. You have broken our country, and you have broken our hearts.
The needless blood on your hands, and therefore on our own, is drowning the freedom, the security and the dream that America might have been once healed of and awakened by the tragedy of September 11, 2001.
But now we are encouraged to self-censor any words that might be perceived as inflammatory, if our belief is that this war should stop today. We cower as you point your fingers, telling us to “support our troops.” Will you and the smarmy pundits in your pocket, those who bathe in the moisture of your blood-soaked underwear, can take that noise and shove it! Because we will be `Snow-ed’ no more.
Now, let’s make this crystal clear: we do support our troops in our stand, while you exploit them and their families.
The verdict is in: you lied, connived, and exploited your own countrymen, and most of all our troops. …
The San Francisco Chronicle provides an MSM report on the town hall meeting, but don’t let that deter you. Give Sean a listen, at http://podcast.medianext.com/stations/kcbs/media/mpeg/Sean_Penn_s_Letter_to_President_Bush-117476692
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