Morton Kondracke has a good piece in Roll Call about the similarities between Iraq, Vietnam, and mid-term elections (1974 and now). Kondracke points out the domestic unpopularity and similitude of both wars, as well as the historical and potential consequences associated with sweeping changes in Congress. The message Kondracke conveys is, post-elections, consider history - the past and the history we will create; a Vietnam-like defeat in Iraq will have substantially greater consequences.
If the U.S. fails in Iraq, Bush and Rumsfeld will be to blame, just as President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara were, for grossly misjudging the difficulty of the task and the strength of U.S. will, as well as for mishandling the war, the diplomacy and the domestic politics.
But all of us — including Democrats in Congress — will pay the consequences. It behooves them, if they win in November, not to repeat history.
In 1974 Americans were fed up with Vietnam and Watergate, which ultimately gave the Democrats a whopping gain of 49 seats in the House in the ‘74 elections. Democrats, justifiably so, made sweeping changes; notable in this case was withdrawal of funding for any Vietnam military activity. More than 2 million people were killed in Vietnam and Cambodia after 1975, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and Islamic radicals took over Iran.
By no means am I suggesting a Democratic Congress in 2007 would worsen things or guarantee failures. To the contrary, I doubt if America’s international posture could get any worse than it is today. We are close to only having the Vatican as an ally. Moreover, neither America nor the world had to deal with the Bush administration’s misfeasence in 1974.
The Democrats may knock the Republicans off the block on November 7, but that means the Democrats must be smarter and work harder than ever before. There is a tremendous mess to clean up and the White House will continue dispensing its rubbish and scum. Yes, idealistically I would like to see Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Gonzales all impeached by July 4, but world order and rule of law are our priorities; not a domestic vigilante running at full speed. Investigate? Yes, Penalize? Yes, as appropriate, but remain focused on what is important.
We cannot just dismiss Iraq. Immediate withdrawal is the same as losing. Whatever the solutions may be, they must be implemented. To do an immediate about-face would create unimaginable chaos and conflict. To paraphrase Martin van Creveld, the great military historian:
President Bush launched the most foolish war of the last 2,015 years; since Emperor Augustus in 9 B.C. sent his troops into Germany and lost them. Moreover, a withdrawal at any time and under any circumstances will require several months and incur a sizable number of casualties.
Unfortunately, George Bush chose to ignore the Powell Doctrine, when he invaded Iraq. Forget the legitimacy of the invasion for the moment. We are still faced with resolving - as Powell declared - owning (viz., repairing) the pottery. If the Democrats begin the 110th Congress predisposed and immediately withdraw from Iraq, it will be a grave error.
The 110th Congress and the 44th President will inherit nothing short of hell. I am amazed that so many people are desirous of assuming any of these roles.
David Safavian, a former senior Bush administration official, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today. Safavian was formerly the Chief of Staff in the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He was convicted of lying to federal investigators about his relationship with disgraced Jack Abramoff.
Late update: I guess this means no more golfing trips to Scotland. Maybe Safavian and Tom DeLay will be future cell mates.
As I said earlier, I thought the President made a serious error in judgment when he had the press conference earlier this week. He seems to be working hard towards Laura and Barney being his sole supporters.
Republican strategists around Washington have a big question for President Bush and his handlers today: Why did the president hold that news conference on Iraq yesterday when just about every poll suggests that the issue is a loser for GOP candidates around the country?
I cannot believe the following statement came from a White House Press Secretary. The Bushies will say or do anything. In reference to the recent sleazy ad the RNC ran against Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN), Tony Snow said in an interview with Chris Matthews:
I think there is always an attempt when you’ve got an African-American candidate to try to attribute something to the race card. [Emphasis added.]
Chris Matthews was nothing short of aghast. There is more. See it all by clicking here.
This is the dirtiest, most mud-slinging election I have ever seen, which speaks volumes about the Republicans. Democrats are not innocent, but they are no where near approaching the level of the GOP.
Previously, I noted the significant number and complexity of current Congressional investigations by the Department of Justice. In the October 26 edition, Roll Call has produced a chart detailing which members of Congress are under investigation and the allegations. Click here to view the list.
The Justice Department has so many Congressional investigations underway, they are overwhelmed with logistical problems; literally creating a complex nationwide network. According to Roll Call [sub. req.]:
The Justice Department has employed a sprawling lineup of investigators and prosecutors to conduct its ever-expanding roster of Congressional investigations, and in the process created a patchwork of probes across the nation.
With at least 17 Members of the 109th Congress coming under federal investigation, Justice has used a pair of offices in its Washington, D.C., headquarters to conduct probes while at the same time coordinating with the offices of at least seven U.S. attorneys and roughly as many FBI offices to serve as ground troops for the inquiries.
Remember, the vast majority of those being investigated are Republicans.
Get out your hanky - Curt Weldon’s remarks about his recent addition to the elite club of potential felons:
Embattled Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) defended himself this week on a local Philadelphia conservative radio talk show, saying that he is a political target for the FBI, in part due to his often outsider views on national security and terrorism.
“I think I’ve pushed the envelope too hard,” Weldon told WPHT morning-show host Michael Smerconish. “I think this comes out of Washington — The only reason I say it appears suspicious is if there were an investigation I think I would have heard about it in the past two years.”
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