Pedal to the Metal?
According to this article, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have promised their Nutroots puppeteers that they’d keep the “pedal to the metal” in forcing an end to the Iraq war. Captain Ed suggests that they check the gas tank before starting on their trip. I heartily concur with Captain Ed. I’d say that they’re running low if I didn’t believe that they’re currently running on fumes.
Junior Democrats describe an “Iraq fatigue” setting in among some members after dozens of successful withdrawal votes failed to drive a wedge between Republicans and President Bush on the war strategy.
The restless Democrats acknowledge the war issue remains critically important for the country, but they would like to see their leaders tone down the rhetoric and avoid showdowns with Bush over the war, wherever possible.
Still, heading into 2008, Democrats have not articulated as clear a game plan on how to handle the political debate on the war as they had heading into 2007.
“My hope would be we start looking at real solutions instead of the dichotomy of cut funding versus stay forever,” said Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), who had a change of heart this fall after visiting Iraq and realizing the military surge was working.
“The entire policy has been dictated by the ‘Out of Iraq Caucus’ … What are we going to do, have another 40 withdrawal votes?”
Next Christmas, the GOP should send each of the nuts in the Out of Iraq Caucus a big bouquet of flowers because they’re driving the Democratic Party far outside the political mainstream. Time will tell if they drive it so far outside the mainstream that they drive Nancy Pelosi out of the Speaker’s job.
Brian Baird has the right idea, thought I don’t think it’ll do much good. If Democrats run on their current list of accomplishments, they’ll take a bigtime pasting. They’d be far better off with working families if they didn’t obey their MoveOn.org puppeteers. Working families want to see progress on a variety of issues, not the least of which is finalizing the FISA reform legislation.
And she suggested Democrats would somehow move to decouple the larger Iraq debate from the struggle with Bush and the Republicans over war funding.
“This will always be the pre-eminent issue until it is not there any more,” she said. “The war, the war, the war: It eclipses everything we do here.”
If that’s going to be the Democrats’ focus next year, I’m betting that voters will suffer ‘Iraq fatigue’. If that happens, they’ll simply tune Ms. Pelosi out. Not to be outdone, Sen. Reid joins the anti-war choir:
In the Senate, Reid vowed no retreat on the war either, despite a united Republican Conference that has been able to repeatedly frustrate Democrats by filibustering attempts to force Bush’s hand on the war.
“We have had 33 [recorded] votes on Iraq and we are going to have more votes on Iraq. We are going to continue putting the pedal to the metal,” the Nevada Democrat said. “We are going to push on this. The American people are dissatisfied with what is going on there.”
Thank you, Harry Reid. Next fall, we’ll remind people that the Reid Senate focused all its attention on witch hunts of the Bush administration and voting to lose the war. When candidates and incumbents run next fall, voters will want to know what they did to improve their lives. The miniscule list of accomplishments they’ll be able to cite will earn the voters’ wrath, not their votes.
Meanwhile, Republicans can point to holding together instead of voting for unilateral, and bipartisan, defeat in Iraq. By itself, that’s abig accomplishment for Republicans. They’ll also be able to lay out their agenda for 2009. Here’s another gift from the Reid Senate:
Another option being considered by some top Democrats is to pass a short-term wartime funding bill, running only until September or October, which would force Republicans to vote on the issue again shortly before the November elections.
If Iraq continues its improvement, Iraq will be the last thing that Democrats will want to oppose right before facing voters. Voting against a rapidly improving Iraq isn’t my idea of a win-win situation. It sounds more like a disaster waiting to happen.
And early high-profile hearings are planned to hear again in March from Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador there, on the progress of the war and the efforts to bring about
political reconciliation.Many Republicans, buoyed by the declining violence in Iraq, hope Petraeus will announce accelerated troop withdrawals, potentially defusing the war as a front-burner election issue.
If Sen. Reid was capable of not marching to his Nutroots puppeteers, he’d realize that having Gen. Petraeus testify to the great progress being made will have a similar impact as Gen. Petraeus’ testimony this September had.
If Sen. Reid keeps pushing this, expect Democrats facing re-election to abandon him. Ditto with the freshmen Democrats in the House.
Technorati Tags: Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Iraq War, Out of Iraq Caucus, MoveOn.org, David Petraeus, Troop Withdrawals, Do Nothing Congress, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
December 21st, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Wrote this a couple hours ago under Fussally Irresponsible Dems. Yaeh, that too : ), but also Fiscally
“Support for the troops is more than just throwing money at them. There is a certain amount of heart, patriotism, and setting of priorities that goes with it that Democrats seem totally devoid of in their falling ass over tincup race to to appease the entire
f-ing world and impose Clintonian socialism.
The bright side of the sordid mess Pelosi and Reid have wrought upon us is enough semblence of common sense left among a handful of Democrats and Republicans to stifle it. Despite all the naysaying from congressional Democrats and their freinds in the media, our Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen under Patreus have managed put Al Qaeda and the Taliban on the run. They know where they are, who they are and how they operate now they have the increasing cooperation of Iraqis and Afghans alike in pointing them out. We are going to win this, whether Reid and Pelosi and Co. like it or not!
Comment by T. A. Gray — December 21, 2007 @ 10:02 am
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:05 am
Thank goodness for Harry and Nancy. Imagine if the Democrats had leadership that wasn’t inept?
Vote No on Prop. 94
December 24th, 2007 at 10:44 am
The only good thing you could say is, they have shown America just what life would be with the nut roots and aging hippies in charge. Spend everything, tax everybody, surrender to all our enemies, and welcome the world to the victory party.