When the Left Hand Doesn’t Know What the Left Hand is Doing
By Denise Best | Related entries in Blogging, General PoliticsDissension within the Democratic Party?
Gasp!
I know, I’m glad I’m sitting down too!
Just when the Democrats we’re appearing to row in the same direction, a divide occurs.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s embrace Wednesday of a rapid withdrawal from Iraq highlighted the Democratic Party’s fissures on war policy, putting the House’s top Democrat at odds with her second in command while upsetting a consensus developing in the Senate.
For months now, Democratic leaders have grown increasingly aggressive in their critiques of President Bush’s policies in Iraq but have been largely content to keep their own war strategies vague or under wraps. That ended Wednesday when Pelosi (D-Calif.) aggressively endorsed a proposal by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq as soon as possible, leaving only a much smaller rapid-reaction force in the region.
The move caught some in the party by surprise. It threw a wrench into a carefully calibrated Democratic theme emerging in the Senate that called for 2006 to be a “significant year of progress” in Iraq, with Iraqi security forces making measurable progress toward relieving U.S. troops of combat duties. Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said last month that “it’s time to take the training wheels off the Iraqi government.”
So, among the Democratic constituency, who do you think is the real voice of the party?
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December 2nd, 2005 at 2:20 pm
Well, Pelosi should be one of the real voices of the party, but if she is then the prospects don’t look too good for 2008. 2006 might be a different story, since nobody really expects their representatives in congress to protect the country. The Democratic presidential contenders must be hopping mad about this, though.
Where’s a Bill Clinton to unite the party and whip them into shape?
December 2nd, 2005 at 2:50 pm
I can never really discern a distinct voice from the Democratic Party.
These days it just seems to be a constant whining sound.
December 2nd, 2005 at 3:23 pm
Yeah, I don’t particularly like Pelosi or Reid. I wish somebody like Obama would stand up. Charisma isn’t everything, but it does count, and if you’re going to lead a party you REALLY need it. But Obama is simply biding his time.
And the Dems chaos is just how it’s going to be. That won’t change. Dissent within the donkey’s lair is pretty much standard operating procedure, and I’d much rather have that happen then the reverse. In other words, I’m not too enthused when a party simply falls in line with a President, and the last five years have been painful to watch, coming from a purely intellectually honest perspective. I mean, no vetoes? Are you kidding me?
In regards to the Dems message about Iraq, again, I’m on the side of staying. Can I understand why some in the party want to leave? You’re damn right I do, and I’m glad people are bringing it up. It holds the Dems who want to stay accountable for making sure they have a plan and really think about it. In other words, dissent breaks down “group think” and that’s vital in this day and age.
And ford, I’m disappointed. You’re only calling Dems whiners? What, are you tired today?
December 2nd, 2005 at 4:31 pm
If it makes you feel any better, I really don’t like either side of the
aisle. It’s just the Dems give me so much more to complain about.
December 2nd, 2005 at 4:34 pm
… and why is it that my comments always look goofy? They look fine when I press Submit? I’m really NOT an idiot, I just play one on the internet.
December 2nd, 2005 at 4:52 pm
Your second one looks totally fine. When all else fails, blame the technology, eh Ford? ;-)
But I do like the joke about the Dems giving you more to complain about. Rapier like wit on display! Kee-ya!
December 2nd, 2005 at 10:31 pm
Obama. I love that. It’s like Musafa. Hoo, what you say? Muuusssaffaa.
Obama says: http://obama.senate.gov/speech/051122-moving_forward_in_iraq/index.html
“Now, given the enormous stakes in Iraq, I believe that those of us who are involved in shaping our national security policies should do what we believe is right, not merely what is politically expedient. I strongly opposed this war before it began, though many disagreed with me at that time. Today, as Americans grow increasingly impatient with our presence in Iraq, voices I respect are calling for a rapid withdrawal of our troops, regardless of events on the ground.
But I believe that, having waged a war that has unleashed daily carnage and uncertainty in Iraq, we have to manage our exit in a responsible way - with the hope of leaving a stable foundation for the future, but at the very least taking care not to plunge the country into an even deeper and, perhaps, irreparable crisis. I say this not only because we owe it to the Iraqi people, but because the Administration’s actions in Iraq have created a self-fulfilling prophecy - a volatile hotbed of terrorism that has already begun to spill over into countries like Jordan, and that could embroil the region, and this country, in even greater international conflict.”
I’m a fan.
December 2nd, 2005 at 10:47 pm
When do we get to watch the radicals cannibalize Hillary Clinton? Cindy Sheehan’s already slinging her “with us or against us” Sith Lord logic in Hillary’s direction… it’s only a matter of time, at this pace, that the rest of the party flank turns on her en masse.
When Bush says “let’s make a victory plan,” it’s stragegy. True.
When John Murtha says “let’s get out now,” it’s irresponsible. True.
When Hillary says “let’s make a victory plan with an emphasis on getting out soon,”… she’s no better than Murtha? C’mon…..
December 2nd, 2005 at 10:48 pm
*strategy, excuse me. Typo. Or a Bushism come to life. You decide…
December 3rd, 2005 at 8:20 pm
If you’ve got a subscription (Hint: dailykos might have) then TNR’s got an amusing overview:
Once upon a time, the Democratic family consisted of two basic types of politicians–those who supported the Iraq war and those who were against it. As the war dragged on and the political climate changed, however, varied new species began to evolve, with all manner of ideas and opinions about the occupation. For months, these different Democratic factions lived more or less in harmony. But Pennsylvania Representative John Murtha’s dramatic call last month for a fast U.S. exit from Iraq was like a climate-altering asteroid event. Suddenly, Democrats were forced to articulate their Iraq positions as never before–and they found themselves in the throes of a Darwinian struggle for primacy over their party’s identity. Just as animals adapt and change on the craggy rocks of the Galápagos, Democrats are now morphing and grouping on op-ed pages, in think tanks, and on Sunday morning talk shows at a frantic pace.
(The species identified are Rapidus Exitus, Dovus Withdrawlus - “told you so” Democrats - Hawkus Withdrawlus, Bloviatus Gradualmorph - “cut and stay” or “I was wrong” democrat - DailyKos Pleaseasaurus - “cut and stay” disguised to blend into the kos crowd - Maximus Patiencis and Fidelis Puris, aka Lieberman, which is of course TNR’s favoured species).