Dems Must Unify on Iraq: Join the Campaign
In the New York Times and here on Newsvine, I’ve read countless criticisms of the Democratic Party’s failure to offer a decent alternative to a flailing Bush administration. These criticisms are entirely justified. But they are not enough. We can’t be content with wishing the Democrats would do a better job. We have the right and duty to demand it.
I demand that my representation in Congress take a unified position on Iraq.
Right now, says House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, “There is no one Democratic voice . . . and there is no one Democratic position” on Iraq. Pelosi calls the Democratic “diversity” of opinions a source of strength. But it is a source of weakness.
Everyone in America wants a solution to the war. Those who opposed it in the first place are lost in a quagmire of recriminations. Bush has failed to cleanse his administration of the incompetence and deceit that have marred the war effort. Meanwhile men and women are dying.
I want a timeline for withdrawal. I want America’s troops home, and for every day they are not home, I want to know why. I want to combat terrorism with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer; I want the War on Terror that claimed my high school classmates to end before it claims their children.
America has given its government a blank check long enough. Now I want a leadership dedicated to openness and honesty, with a unified view of America’s place in the world. I reject President Bush’s vision for America. Now I want an alternative.
I am sending a copy of this letter to my Representative in the House, and to the Senators from my state. If you agree with me, I urge you to do the same.