Lead or Get Out of the Way!

From today's Washington Post:
(All added emphasis are my own, CS)

"Democratic Lawmakers Splinter on Iraq
Many Surprised as Pelosi Calls for a Fast Pullout
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 2, 2005; Page A04


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….”


And just what is this “consensus”?


“…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,...”


Well that certainly defines the Democratic position on Iraq……..
But wait; There’s more! Not only has Ms. Pelosi upset the courageous members of the U.S. Senate but…


…” Marshall Wittmann, a former Republican political strategist now with the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, said Pelosi may have resurrected her party's most deadly liability -- voters' lack of trust in the party on national security.
"If Karl Rove was writing the timing of this, he wouldn't have written it any differently, with the president of the United States expressing resolve and the Democratic leader offering surrender," Wittmann said, referring to Bush's top adviser. "For Republicans, this is manna from heaven."…”

The writer then determines that, “…For Democrats, Iraq presents a political quandary. Americans have clearly turned against the war, with a growing majority disapproving of the president's handling of the conflict and saying the invasion was not worth the costs….”


So let’s get this straight. Nancy Pelosi has decided to side with the majority of the American people (in particular, Democrats) and embrace John Murtha’s resolution calling for a re-deployment of our troops from combat positions in Iraq and force the Iraqis to take charge of their own country. This upsets Democratic senators who are seeking to count more bodies and give more money to Brown and Root (at least through 2006). More importantly, it flies in the face of DLC doctrine that says, Democratic policy must be set based on Karl Rove’s agenda.


Well, one thing the writer got right is this, “For Democrats, Iraq presents a political quandary.” Can the Democratic Party take a definitive stand on Iraq and still remain the minority in Congress?




Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

P.S. A special message for Senator John Kerry:
Will you be the one who asks the last man to die for a mistake?