Last Chance Saloon: Will the Democrats Stand Up to George Bush's Ridiculous Offer?
posted by Cenk 09/11/2007 05:31:58 PM EST
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Word has just come out that President Bush will
offer to take out 30,000 troops from Iraq by next August - maybe, if all of his conditions are met. So, that would leave us in the same exact place we were in November of 2006 when the American people sent the message that we should withdraw from Iraq.
This is like a department store raising prices by a 100% one day and then having a "50% Off Sale" the next day. It's not much to brag about. In fact, it's a cheap salesman's trick.
President Bush's strategy all along has been to run out the clock until he can hand off Iraq to the next president - and then claim they screwed it up. This is one giant reprehensible game to avoid blame for the catastrophe in Iraq. The president wants to be able to say that the dog ate his homework and that's why Iraq didn't work out. I keep hearing that Shaggy song running through my head, "It wasn't me! It wasn't me!"
If it hadn't been for those darn Democrats everything he did would have worked out okay. Except in this scenario, hundreds, if not thousands, of more Americans will die and get their arms and legs blown off so that George Bush can feel a little better about himself. How many more American lives is George Bush's ego worth?
Is anyone really going to be so gullible as to buy into this cheap magician's trick? According to The New York Times, unfortunately, that's an excellent possibility. Democrats are considering buckling for a record one millionth time in a row. The so-called compromise that is being discussed within the Democratic caucus right now is nearly identical to Bush's proposal. That is so stupid it makes the head hurt. Can someone please help us? Will anyone represent us? Where are our so-called leaders?
I would like to buy the Democrats a clue. According to the latest USA Today/Gallup poll, 60% of Americans are to the left of you! They answered that they are in favor of hard deadlines for withdrawal no matter what the conditions on the ground are. That is considerably starker than the average Democrat's position.
By the way, this was a poll question loaded to get a low answer. Who is really going to say they are for withdrawal no matter what the conditions are? Well, apparently a huge majority of Americans. Even with that kind of loaded question, sixty percent said we have to go - no matter what.
Are you listening Democrats? The amount of disdain the Democrats will have earned if they buckle again will be immeasurable. Even with overwhelming American support behind them, the most deeply unpopular president of all time and the country in a mood for dramatic change, if they give in to Bush again, the world will not be able to contain our disgust with them.
Bush will announce shortly on national television that he is so magnanimous that he is willing to go back to pre-surge numbers a year from now. It reminds me of Joaquin Phoenix's character in Gladiator yelling, "Am I not merciful?! Am I not merciful?!" I'm going to go with "no" on that one.
So, what will the Democrats answer be? Will they thank the worst president in history for going back to his original unreasonable position? Will they allow him to run out the clock on his presidency while our kids keep getting killed for no reason whatsoever? Will they allow him to make the audacious claim that he is being conciliatory by offering to withdraw absolutely no net troops since the 2006 elections?
Will they keep whining and complaining about not having enough votes before they even try to use public pressure to get Republicans to change their votes? Do they not understand that Republicans have to change their votes or lose in the next election - unless they are given cover by the Democrats by passing a meaningless, non-binding bill?
Come on, really? Non-binding?? Are you kidding? Who in their right mind thinks Bush will be pressured to make a change in Iraq if it's non-binding? No one can reasonably believe that.
Please tell me the Democrats aren't this bad in politics. Do they not understand how political pressure works? The most precious thing in the world to a politician is his own ass. If those Republican Senators become convinced that they will lose if they keep voting with Bush, they will bend. I guarantee it. Self preservation is the number one rule of politics.
This is the time for strength. Make them bend to your will.
It's the only way out. If the Democrats vote for any kind of fake compromise with so-called moderate Republicans, there is no way in the world George Bush is going to leave Iraq. He has managed to delay withdrawal with his ridiculous surge strategy for nearly a year now. Democrats would have to be crazy to let him keep doing it any longer.
And if the Democrats did concede for no reason, it would all of a sudden be their careers that are on the line, whether it's through primary fights all over the country or a reinforced image as weaklings or simply owning our presence in Iraq through continued capitulation to the president. How many times can they allow Bush to stay in Iraq and credibly claim they are against that policy?
This is last chance saloon. I am genuinely curious. Is it possible that the Democrats have one more fold in them? It seems too irrational for the imagination to bear. Or can they stand up for themselves - and for us - for the first time in such a long time? That also seems hard to imagine. I can't recollect what a strong Democratic Party looked like. It seems like a foreign concept now.
How is it going to go? What will they do? Will they stand? This is real drama. I don't know the answer, and I'm not sure I want to.
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