Any “Democrat” that does not support an immediate end to the illegal occupation of Iraq and impeachment of the entire bush team is no different from a Republican. I live in Cunningham’s district and was very happy to see him sent away to prison. I am hoping to see several more Republicans follow. But if the Democrats can do no better than Busby they do not deserve the support of any progressive.

Post #4851 is right on the moeny.  We in Rhode Island are lucky to have such a politician in Carl Sheeler , who is a Democratic candidate for Senator Lincoln Chafee’s seat.  He is anti-war, out of Iraq, and Impeach Bush.

The only politician who will reach us is the one who curses this war for what it is and promises to end it. This is the thing that weighs like lead on the hearts of people in the country today, and they have plenty of other things to worry about…But the guilt and frustration welling up about Iraq, sits like a pall over everything..ruth

In conversations about Iraq I have been reminding people that one of the ugliest deceptions of Washington about the war is that they DID NOT plan to stay and occupy forever…or as long as they could…the only clues we needed to be sure of that lie is the fortress ‘embassy’ being built (for 3,000 people) and the 14 military bases. Today it is reported in Al Jazeera that the A130U which was used in Falluja has been deployed to Iraq. This is a monster weapon of mass distruction and they are going to be using it on residential areas where they ‘suspect’ insurgents are living.  Many Americans are beginning to realize that they have committed mass murder in our name..because we elected them…we are partly to blame for this butchering of a defenseless population.

[My previous comment had an error and a bad link. Here is the corrected comment:]

Let’s address the first question raised by A.A. Murphy in Comment # 4378. The best way to begin to do that, in my opinion, is to read essays and commentaries such as Ted Koppels’ essay from 2.24.06, NYTimes, link below:

http://select.nytimes.com/2006/02/24/opinion/24koppel.html

The U.S., indeed, the oil-hungry world will not leave Iraq. As I have said elsewhere, the huge U.S. corporatist propaganda machines, both private and public, are working feverishly to convince enough Americans that it’s acceptable for Americans to bleed and die in Iraq. And, of course, as little mention as possible is ever made about the Iraqi people’s sufferings and deaths.

Certainly, a country such as the USA that is capable of participating in the slaughter of three million Vietnamese without so much as a backward glance, such a country, I say, is clearly capable of doing anything for something it values so highly as oil.

It appears Howard Dean & Company of Democratic party are in the march of winning the election by copying Republican strategy. If this is what they are trying to do, I am sure - people of this country will choose the number one of the evils. If both of the parties represent the same policy and values then why bother to pick number two.

Thank you William Salyers for pointing out the absence of “left” opinion in political discussions. It is unfortunate that the ‘left’ and the ‘progressive’ organizations have not come together to form a platform that for presents a true left position about the critical political problems we are faced with in The U.S. How do you expect people to move to a more left position when they have no ‘leadership’ to state a “real (national) program”  around which the public can rally.

To take any “position” to win any election, other than the one that is the result of one’s own analysis of the major problems facing your potential constituents, is a deceptive, manipulative and inherently undemocratic activity that by its very nature is corrupting and clearly indicates that the person, group, or party involved is ready to do anything necessary to win an election, hence our present state of affairs.

I believe it to be a major error of ethical judgement to pin a parties or a nations hopes on the most popular issues as determined by “polls”.

It is the candidates responsibility to identify and prioritize issues that objectively threaten the welfare of the population.

After that process, it is up to the candidate, not the polls, to convince the voters that it is in their interest and the interest of the common good, to elect the person who would represent those values and serve the public.

And if a candidates opponent is fear-mongering, lying, deceiving, hypocritical, corrupt, etc. it is the candidates duty to expose the realities or face the consequences.

If it is now “unpatriotic” to challenge this illegal and immoral oil grab, Bush calls a war on terror, it is the opposition parties duty, whoever they may be, to convince the American public, that the opposite is true.

Let’s address the first question raised by A.A. Murphy in Comment # 4385. The best way to begin to do that, in my opinion, is to read essays and commentaries such as Ted Koppels’ essay from 2.24.06, NYTimes, link below:

file:///C:/My Documents/Iraq/Will Fight for Oil_2.24.06.htm

The U.S., indeed, the oil-hungry world will not leave Iraq. As I have said elsewhere, the huge U.S. corporatist propaganda machines, both private and public, are working feverishly to convince enough Americans that it’s acceptable for Americans to bleed and die in Iraq. And, of course, as little mention as possible is ever made about the Iraqi people’s sufferings and deaths.

Certainly, a country such as the USA that is capable of participating in the slaughter of three million Vietnamese without so much as a backward glance, such a country, I say, is clearly capable of doing anything for something it values so highly as oil.

Complete agreement with A.A. Murphy with an addendum.

First, why are the permanent bases not being raised as an issue?  They’re certainly an issue in Iraq.

Second, what is the problem with chewing gum and walking at the same time?

It would seem that the majority of the American public (a large majority) has expressed its views on matters through endless polls and they reflect traditional Democratic ideals.  Why not tap into that?

Not for strategic reasons, rather to be “the representatives of the people”.

How is this so hard to understand?

It seems that with every election cycle, the parties are focusing more and more on a smaller percentage of the population they’re sure will turn out.  That’s a self- fulfilling prophecy.

Run on ending the war, run on overhauling the healthcare system, run on education, run on taking care of the poor and the elderly.  Run on providing our young with a hope for a future.  Run on renewable energy.

All at the same time!

People will respond.  They will turn out.  They want real leadership.

If the Democrats don’t figure this out, they’ll lose the election again because two gay cowboys turned out to vote against gay marriage in order to deny their own feelings.

This is truly getting tiring.

Yeah, we have two war parties vying for power in this country.

Dean’s right.  When you position a guy to be head of your party, Democrats, listen to him.  Rove copied Lee Atwater and it worked.  Let Dean copy Rove - it’ll work.  Propagation of terror is the only thing left on the Repub ticket.  Deal with it.

Francine Busby is running in a pretty conservative district.  She can’t get out too far ahead of her constituents on the Iraq War.  Having said that, I want to give kudos to Nancy Pelosi for supporting Jack Murtha’s plan for a withdrawal “to the horizon” and to Barbara Boxer who seems to have come into her own since the 2004 election.  I wonder if it means that she won’t run again.  She is currently fearless.

Apparently Barbara Boxer is the only real left wing Democrat still standing.  Perhaps I should be sending my campaign donations directly to Barbara instead of the DNC.

Being a better party on fighting terror is not my agenda and it is not the left wing agenda.  This is a challenge that the Bush administration has laid out for us.  By accepting that challenge we are playing into the hands of right wing politics and doing the bidding of right wing politicians.

We need to pay down the National debt and balance the budget.

We need to refocus efforts to develop alternative energy sources and not just pay lip service to the research and development.  The goal should be to free ourselves from our dependence on fossil fuels.  It can be done and it should be done not just for our economy and our National Security but for health reasons and global warming.

There is no doubt but that the failure of many Democrats to take a principled anti-war stance has hurt the cause of democracy.  But there is a more pressing issue.  If Democrats hope to capture Cunningham’s district they better do something about black box voting, and fast!  California’s Sec. of State Bruce McPherson has now certified the use of Diebold electronic voting machines.  Without a paper trail, there is no Democracy and no end to Republican control of Congress.

None of this is surprising. We don’t have a true left in this country; we have conservative and conservative-lite.

Jon Weiner is in error when he refers to Representative John Murtha as a Republican.  Congressman Murtha is a Democrat.

If senior Democrats are committed to an early U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, why aren’t they sounding alarm bells about the huge military bases the Pentagon reportedly is building there?
Billions of U.S. tax dollars are being invested.

Why aren’t more Democrats discussing the looming Medicare crisis, including the Part D prescription drug fiasco that has left many seniors without medicine and the taxpayers countless billions in debt? Will the Democrats overhaul our broken health care system or just patch in up again?