Dump
The Dems, Unite
Against The War
By Joshua Frank
08 March, 2007
Countercurrents.org
We
should have known it was coming. Even though the Democratic Party rode
the antiwar wave in to Congress last November they've done little since
to end the bloody war in Iraq. Just last week House Democrats met to
discuss how best to halt Bush's request to send more troops into the
region but couldn't come to an agreement on whether or not to put any
restrictions on the administration's plea for an additional $93 billion
to continue the occupation. The only way to stop the war, as Sen. Russ
Feingold understands well, is to cease all funding for the ongoing tragedy.
But the majority of Democrats, already preparing for the next round
of elections, aren't about to step up and represent their constituents.
Hate to say we told you so
but we predicted this outcome long ago here at CounterPunch. While some,
including John Nichols at The Nation, claimed Washington was being taken
over by progressive Democrats, we knew the numbers proved otherwise.
Progressive Democrats did gain strength, however conservative pro-war
Blue Dog and DLC patrons gained the most seats in last election cycle.
Virtually all ran on pro-war platforms -- guaranteeing that they would
continue to support Bush's efforts to eradicate terrorism by terrorizing
Iraqis and Afghanis instead.
"The Blue Dogs are pretty
unified in not wanting to micromanage how the Pentagon conducts the
war," said Blue Dog Rep. John Salazar of Colorado. "None of
us will support withholding funds from troops in the field."
Senator Carl Levin of Michigan,
the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also
refused to block Bush's call for additional funds by claiming it would
be "immoral" for the Democratic Party to do so. Sen. Hillary
Clinton won't apologize for giving Bush the authority to invade Iraq,
nor will Sen. Dianne Feinstein acknowledge that her support for past
reconstruction funds has fattened the pockets of her husband who has
large stakes in several companies currently profiting from the war.
We may as well call all of
this what it is: a willful abandonment of ideals and purpose, which
never really existed to begin with. The Democratic Party exerts the
same hawkish fervor as the Republican Party. Indeed they have proven
that despite the overwhelming opposition to the war nationwide they
will not do a damn thing to end it.
U.S. foreign policy has not
and will not change direction as long as the Democratic Party continues
to be dominated by corporate interests and tacit compliance to the neoconservative
agenda. The antiwar movement needs to understand this reality or it
is doomed to collapse like it did under the pressure of the 2004 elections.
The time is now for us to
come together under a unified antiwar banner despite what our political
leanings may be. Liberal, radical, conservative, libertarian, it doesn't
matter. Ending the war and our government's imperialist polices is just
that important. We may be a minority, but we can be a successful one.
Indeed if we unite we could have a profound effect on our political
discourse and the upcoming elections. Let's not wait around for either
party to come to their senses.
Let's force them to.
Joshua Frank
is the author of Left Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush
edits www.BrickBurner.org.