Democrats and the Iraq War
Democrats have now taken formal control of both houses of Congress, so what might happen? Some people are pressing for a strong commitment from Democrats to use every possible means to bring about a withdrawal from Iraq. Other folks want Democrats to help on economic issues; others want action on social issues, including federal dollars for stem cell research. I’m sure there is a certain percentage of Americans who want all of these things, but more than likely, many of us have our own agendas somewhere within the above parameters.
I think most would agree that the most difficult issue is Iraq. So what will Democrats do? My “guess” is, most Democrats in Congress will do what they did during the election campaign; that is, they will try to stay away from articulating a clear policy, but they will say that, unlike the previous Republican-led Congress, Democrats are now providing “oversight.” To be quite honest, I’m sure many Democrats are a bit scared of this issue, and not without reason. They have seen an American president and his political party ride a tremendous wave of approval over Iraq, only to experience a gradual, but steady decline in public support for the war, culminating in large losses in the midterm elections, and a president with an approval rating hovering around the average January daily high temperature in Juneau, Alaska.
As all of us know, the situation is just a MESS! The responsibility for Iraq rests with the Bush Administration and Republicans, and Democrats want very much to keep it right there. Yes, many Democrats voted FOR the authorization to invade Iraq, in spite of their now contorted explanations of their votes, but I think the public focus is on the Administration, and correctly so. The problem for Democrats is, however, now they control the Congress, and that means they share power, aka “responsibility.” If you have watched any of the political talk shows in the last day or so, you’ve probably seen many, but not all, Democratic congressional people and strategists trying mightily to stay away from any specific commitments about an Iraq policy. One Democratic strategist noted that, generally speaking, Democrats really never promised anything specific about Iraq during the election campaign. This is kind of where the American public really is. There are strong supporters of the Adminisration and strong supporters for withdrawal, but the large middle ground of Americans is really uncertain what to do about Iraq. The problem for Democrats is, “if” they embrace a “withdrawal policy,” and that policy is enacted, they then will be tied to that policy, just as Bush and Republicans have been tied to the current policy. If a withdrawal policy works, Democrats will certainly receive the accolades of a grateful nation. If the policy fails, and, for instance, the Iraq religious-ethnic civil war boils over to other countries in the Middle East, and Islamic extremists gain a major presence in Iraq and perhaps other countries, and oil goes to $150 a barrel… well, you get the idea.
Just to guess further, and we’ll soon find out on this, I think Democrats may well let Bush go ahead with a “surge,” although they will publicly criticize the policy. If the “surge” fails to stabilize the situation, and personally, I think it will fail, Democrats will then say, “Look, we didn’t like this ‘surge’ plan, but we let the President have his way, and now look what has happened.” The only major alternative for Democrats is to withhold funding in some part for Iraq, but that certainly will open them up to criticism that they are endangering our military, and even the already shaky situation in the region.
I’m not sure the media will let the Democrats get away with much of the above scenario, especially now that Democrats have real power, if the situation even develops anywhere near as I’ve speculated above.
Meanwhile, with the Iraq debate going on, Democrats will try to keep a base of support by passing a minimum wage increase, support for stem cell research, changing some tax breaks for oil companies, and other items that are generally popular with the public, and that’s not a bad idea. In my mind, the Iraq War opened the Republicans to severe criticism, but many of these other issues really combined to bring the Republicans down in the past election. According to the television talk shows, the Democrat’s “100 Hour Agenda” never even mentions Iraq, but that issue will likely be what decides the fate of both parties in 2008.
I think most would agree that the most difficult issue is Iraq. So what will Democrats do? My “guess” is, most Democrats in Congress will do what they did during the election campaign; that is, they will try to stay away from articulating a clear policy, but they will say that, unlike the previous Republican-led Congress, Democrats are now providing “oversight.” To be quite honest, I’m sure many Democrats are a bit scared of this issue, and not without reason. They have seen an American president and his political party ride a tremendous wave of approval over Iraq, only to experience a gradual, but steady decline in public support for the war, culminating in large losses in the midterm elections, and a president with an approval rating hovering around the average January daily high temperature in Juneau, Alaska.
As all of us know, the situation is just a MESS! The responsibility for Iraq rests with the Bush Administration and Republicans, and Democrats want very much to keep it right there. Yes, many Democrats voted FOR the authorization to invade Iraq, in spite of their now contorted explanations of their votes, but I think the public focus is on the Administration, and correctly so. The problem for Democrats is, however, now they control the Congress, and that means they share power, aka “responsibility.” If you have watched any of the political talk shows in the last day or so, you’ve probably seen many, but not all, Democratic congressional people and strategists trying mightily to stay away from any specific commitments about an Iraq policy. One Democratic strategist noted that, generally speaking, Democrats really never promised anything specific about Iraq during the election campaign. This is kind of where the American public really is. There are strong supporters of the Adminisration and strong supporters for withdrawal, but the large middle ground of Americans is really uncertain what to do about Iraq. The problem for Democrats is, “if” they embrace a “withdrawal policy,” and that policy is enacted, they then will be tied to that policy, just as Bush and Republicans have been tied to the current policy. If a withdrawal policy works, Democrats will certainly receive the accolades of a grateful nation. If the policy fails, and, for instance, the Iraq religious-ethnic civil war boils over to other countries in the Middle East, and Islamic extremists gain a major presence in Iraq and perhaps other countries, and oil goes to $150 a barrel… well, you get the idea.
Just to guess further, and we’ll soon find out on this, I think Democrats may well let Bush go ahead with a “surge,” although they will publicly criticize the policy. If the “surge” fails to stabilize the situation, and personally, I think it will fail, Democrats will then say, “Look, we didn’t like this ‘surge’ plan, but we let the President have his way, and now look what has happened.” The only major alternative for Democrats is to withhold funding in some part for Iraq, but that certainly will open them up to criticism that they are endangering our military, and even the already shaky situation in the region.
I’m not sure the media will let the Democrats get away with much of the above scenario, especially now that Democrats have real power, if the situation even develops anywhere near as I’ve speculated above.
Meanwhile, with the Iraq debate going on, Democrats will try to keep a base of support by passing a minimum wage increase, support for stem cell research, changing some tax breaks for oil companies, and other items that are generally popular with the public, and that’s not a bad idea. In my mind, the Iraq War opened the Republicans to severe criticism, but many of these other issues really combined to bring the Republicans down in the past election. According to the television talk shows, the Democrat’s “100 Hour Agenda” never even mentions Iraq, but that issue will likely be what decides the fate of both parties in 2008.
posted by Randy at 2:08 PM
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