How Not to Mention the War. The Democratic Unraveling

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Thu, 25 Aug 2005 22:44:23 -0700 (PDT)

How Not to Mention the War. The Democratic Unraveling

 

 

 

http://www.counterpunch.org/marshall08252005.html

 

How Not to Mention the War

The Democratic Unraveling

LUCINDA MARSHALL, CounterPunch

 

August 25, 2005

 

 

Democratic Senators Nancy Pelosi and Hilary Clinton recently sent out

a fundraising letter. An acquaintance of mine who received the letter

tells me that it also included a questionnaire asking him which issues

were on his mind. But there was something very strange about the

questionnaire. It seems that in the list of issues you could check

off, they forgot to include anything about Iraq. My friend was rather

peeved about that because as it turns out, he is mighty concerned

about Iraq.

 

 

 

But perhaps the omission isn't so strange after all. Indeed, as the

Washington Post points out, the Democratic leadership seems to be of

the opinion that the crucial issue is how best to achieve success in

Iraq. Given that, it is unlikely they want folks telling them they're

concerned that the 'war on terror' is going badly.

 

 

 

Maybe it's just me but...how exactly are they defining success? We

aren't going to find any weapons of mass destruction. We've already

deposed Saddam. We insisted that they hold an election, which we

deemed a success, never mind the irregularities, that happens a lot

here in the good ol' U.S. of A. too, no big deal.

 

 

 

Not only that, but the Iraqis are just inches away from putting the

finishing touches on a brand spanking new Constitution. It's most

notable feature is that it is likely to give much more strength to

Islamic law, effectually taking away many of the rights that Iraqi

women previously enjoyed. Not to worry, in a recent interview with

David Gregory on Meet The Press, Reuel Marc Gerecht, the Director of

the Middle East Initiative for the Project for the New American

Century (PNAC) tells us Gilda Radner-style to never mind all that

hoopla about women's rights before the war, " Women's social rights are

not critical to the evolution of democracy. " *

 

 

 

Sounds pretty darned successful to me. Unless of course you mind daily

car-bombings, the continued deaths of U.S. military personnel (and a

whole lot of Iraqis), our continued lack of progress in rebuilding

what we knocked down (despite billions of funds allocated for the

purpose), or the lack of reliable electricity and potable water

throughout Iraq. I know, picky, picky.

 

 

 

At a time when most Americans are beginning to wonder, " Where's the

exit? " , the Dems seem hell-bent on trying out for the dance band on

the Titanic. Little wonder that their approval rating is even lower

than the President's rating. A June Washington Post/NBC poll showed

that just 42 % of Americans approved of the Congressional Democrats'

performance.

 

 

 

David Sirota gives some excellent insights into the head-in-sand

thinking that seems to be prevailing among the Democratic leadership.

According to Sirota, the party line of the day seems to be keep mum

about Iraq, and if pressed, bad-mouth the war critics and call them

un-American. However, as Sirota astutely points out, there is nothing

un-American about wanting to bring the troops home,

 

 

" Frankly, it's the other way around: there is something " anti-American

soldier " about wanting to indefinitely leave our troops in a shooting

gallery without an exit strategy, without proper body armor and

without any semblance of a plan. "

 

Out here in the hinterland, Sirota's assessment appears to be right on

target. Over at the Kentucky State Fair, the Democratic faithful are

busy drumming up support for the troops, offering those who visit the

party booth a chance to write a message to send to the troops in a

ploy clearly designed to show that the Donkeys are just as patriotic

as the Elephants because by golly, they support the troops too.

 

 

 

Apparently the DNC party leadership hasn't seen the recent polls that

indicate that most Americans no longer support this war. We know we've

been lied to and we want accountability. Above all, we are tired of

seeing our loved ones come home in body bags for reasons that keep

shifting. The Dems delusion that the name of the game is to convince

voters that they can do a better job of winning the war is

insupportable. This isn't a 'winnable' war and it is well past time to

acknowledge that the Empire is butt-naked. What Americans want is a

plan to end this deadly misuse of our military might.

 

 

 

*It really needs to be asked why David Gregory, who was subbing for

Tim Russert, did not see fit to question this statement, which while

no doubt far more likely an accurate reflection of Bush Administration

thinking than the pre-war propaganda, clearly contradicts the official

White House position.

 

Lucinda Marshall is a feminist artist, writer and activist. She is the

Founder of the Feminist Peace Network.

 

 

http://www.counterpunch.org/marshall08252005.html