The Workday Liberal

I understand my fellow liberal bloggers, t.v. commentators and anti war activists angst at yesterdays vote to continue funding the Iraq war with no time lines. The history of this blog is filled to the brim with rants against the Iraq war, George Bush, Bush's conduct of the war, and any other permutation of the Iraq wars affect on this nation. So I'm on board folks.

In fact not only do I understand the angst of those who I side with in the grand political scheme, but to use a famous Clintonism, I feel their pain. How is it that a President who is mired with public approval in the low 30's can be handed a victory over an issue that the vast majorities of the public disagree with him upon is simply mystifying. This President has the Democratic leadership in Congress wheedling their pants, afraid that he might talk badly about them. Yet having President Bush slam you around in todays environment should be considered a badge of honor, and a positive in the eyes of the nation. The Democrats are terrified of looking weak by not funding the troops, and wind up looking weak by not standing up to Bush.

So do they actually expect Bush and his boot lickers in Congress to start playing nice now? If so, the Democrats are not only weak, they are delusional. You can expect to hear Republicans across the nation and the air waves continue with the whole cut and run defeatocrats meme... because now these Republicans know that using that logic freaking works! And as long as the Democrats on the hill act like a herd of scared sheople being herded by wolves, you can't blame the Republicans for taking advantage of it either.

So am I cheesed? You bet! BUT... this is where I may part ways with many of those who agree with me. I'm not ready to completely wash my hands of all things Democrat and throw my all into building a 3rd party or marching on Washington to try to bring it all down.

I agree that the most important issue of our times is the Iraq war. On that alone, consider the head way made in the first five months of having a Democratic Congress. The first ever timeline to end the war passed and sent to the President. An epic battle over funding that went on for several months, where as under Republican leadership these funding bills were passed with barely a peep. Things have obviously shifted and I don't think that shift is going to start reversing itself to the Republican position. It will only get better from our perspective.

Iraq may be the most important issue, but it is not the only issue. The entire Justice Department embroglio would not be happening if the Republicans had retained control of Congress. I for one remember what oversight meant under Republican control. Oversight for them meant overlooking.

Frankly, after aproximately a decade in the minority, I would have been amazed if Democrats would have swept into power and not made any misteps early in the game. Let us hope they have learned their lessons on this one. Next time they should not start the debate under the premise that the Republicans just have to wait it out and the Democrats will fold. The starting premise of the next debate needs to be that the President may have the funding needed to end the war, but not to continue it indefinitely. If Bush vetoes that, he will be refusing the funding needed by our troops. It is not the Presidents job to fund the troops so he can take what he is offered, or have nothing at all.

Let us get this right going forward. But let us get this right with the party that can get it right rather than committing political suicide over a demand for purity in our party. If we fragment because of this we are playing directly into the hands of the Republicans, and if we think things are going to improve under their leadership then we are ignoring very recent history which demonstrates precisely the opposite.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the Democratic party is the worst political party you can vote for... except all the others.