Democrats say no to Withdrawal

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Sun, 20 Nov 2005 04:53:36 -0800

Democrats say " no " to Withdrawal

 

 

 

 

Democrats say " no " to Withdrawal

Mike Whitney

 

 

 

November 19, 2005

 

It will be a while before they clear away the carnage from the floor

of the House of Representatives, but the mighty birds are already

circling overhead eyeballing the carrion below.

 

Last night, the Democratic Party, that rudderless,

ideologically-challenged coterie of losers and sycophants, killed

whatever chance they may have had of leading country out of the Iraqi

nightmare. In a grossly lopsided vote of 403 to 3 the Democrats helped

to defeat a bill that demanded the immediate withdrawal of American

troops from Iraq. Their vote ignores the 63% of Americans who want to

see a speedy exit from Iraq and it strengthens the Republican agenda

of open-ended support for the President. In the process, they further

disgraced the one man who towered above the wretched chatter of

beltway politics and defended the soldiers dying in the field, John

Murtha.

 

Murtha has been the most hawkish of the Democrats, staunchly

supportive of the president and his war. Last week, however, he

surprised everyone by publicly denouncing Iraq as " a flawed policy

wrapped in an illusion " and calling for an immediate withdrawal. Since

then, Murtha, a decorated combat veteran, has been viciously trashed

by the Bush-Rove smear machine; another victim of the ruinous

" swift-boat " strategy.

 

Yesterday, on the floor of the House Rep. Jean Schmidt suggested that

Murtha, the recipient of two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, was a

coward.

 

She reiterated the message she had received earlier in the day from a

Marine Colonel who told her to " send Congress a message; Cowards cut

and run. Marines never do " . Schmidt's remarks caused pandemonium in

the chamber.

 

The battle lines are drawn between Democrats and Republicans and the

acrimony has never been greater. So, why did the Democrats retreat

from the bill and leave the impression that Murtha was left hanging

out to dry?

 

In fact, the Republicans cleverly changed the wording of the Murtha

bill by saying that all troop deployments should be " terminated

immediately " ; substantially different from Murtha's call for a

coordinated withdrawal leaving a rapid " reaction force " in the region.

As it turned out, even Murtha voted with the majority.

 

But, the wording was immaterial. The vote was mainly symbolic anyway;

we're not leaving Iraq anytime soon. The Democrats had the opportunity

to be a credible opposition party and give Bush a bloody nose in the

process. Instead, they blew it. They slinked away from the brawl and

headed for the exits. They continue to ignore the mood of the country

and fail to capitalize on the vulnerabilities of their rivals.

 

The American people aren't in the mood for compromise and they don't

give a hoot about perfectly written legislation. They are looking for

someone to stop Bush any way possible.

 

That's it; just say No.

 

The nation is pouring blood and treasure into a bottomless sand-pit

with no prospect for success. In less than two years American citizens

will have to have " papers " (standardized Federal ID) just to travel

around the country. National Security Letters and " lone wolf "

provisions in the Patriot Act allow the FBI to search through all of

one's personal belongings or records without judicial approval. The

administration has set up a National Security Service (NSS) that

provides Bush with his own KGB style secret police force, independent

of congressional oversight. And, the court has decided that the

president can indefinitely imprison American citizens without charging

them with a crime.

 

This is no time for the blundering Democrats to seek out a " nuanced

political position " . We're looking for roadblocks, not policy.

 

The reality is there is no leadership in the Democratic Party. The

people at the top, Clinton, Biden, Dodd, Edwards and Kerry, are all

" go-along, get along " toadies who've caved in on every issue of

consequence. All of them have been staunch supporters of the war and

refuse to even whisper the word " withdrawal " fearing their powerful

constituents will throw them overboard.

 

There's no chance the Democrats will lead us out of this quagmire;

they're in it up to their axels. They may moan about " being misled " by

the president, but don't take that as a condemnation of the war.

They're already preening their rhetoric about a " victory strategy "

followed by the steady increase of American servicemen deployed to the

desert meat-grinder.

 

So, who cares if they take a drubbing on the House floor?

 

They are a party adrift; steadily sinking from the arrogance and

ideological vacuity of their leaders. It would be better for everyone

if they just packed their bags and went home.

 

Good riddance.

 

Courtesy and Mike Whitney