I was quite impressed with the very hard-hitting letter to the President, dated October 4th, and signed by 38 Democrats, plus our usual ally, Jeffers of Vermont. FINALLY a strong showing of Democratic unity on the whole war issue! (See Dianne Feinstein's website,
http://feinstein.senate.gov/05releases/r-dem-iraq/ltr.htm, for entire text.) But, on the other hand, I was greatly disappointed. After 2 1/2 years, public exposure of the initial lie, the hidden political agendas, the total lack of military planning, the profiteering, the senseless and unnecessary devastation of lives, the loss of respect and US credibility throughout the world, and all the other tragedies of this war, why have 6 Democratic Senators declined to hold Bush accountable? This should not be a divisive item for Democrats.
The Iraq War has been a monumental debacle for this nation, orchestrated by the full force of this Administration's manipulative powers. Many of the problems were evident from the beginning, some became evident only as further details unraveled. But by now, anyone who believes accountability is not in order has no credibility as a Democrat. There may be differences regarding a specific date, specific numbers of troops to be withdrawn, and other details. But this letter is not asking for a specific date. It is demanding a statement of goals from this Administration, an accounting for the billions that have been spent, the billions that are missing, a statement of what the American public can expect. This is about accountability. There may be some differences that arise once the answers to these questions are provided. But there are serious problems with Democrats who can't hold this Administration accountable to the public for its policies. This war is robbing our treasury, essential services are being severely cut due to military spending, we are unable to handle natural disasters at home because our national guard and reserves are deployed and re-deployed while trying to fight two wars, profiteering and unexplained absences of billions of dollars goes unquestioned, goals go undefined or are constantly changed or quietly morphed, and most importantly, lives are lost and taken daily.
Instead of providing unity, Senators Kent Conrad (ND), Byron Dorgan (ND), Joe Lieberman (CT), Ben Nelson (NE), Bill Nelson (FL), and Mark Pryor (AR), appear to feel Bush should not be held accountable for stating clear goals that are to be achieved, a clear military strategy, an explanation for expenditures and missing funds, an explanation for the continuous discrepancies between White House assessments and military leaders' assessments of how the war is going. I see no excuse for these 6 senators' choice not to join with fellow Democrats in signing this letter. They owe their Party (that means us) an explanation.
In compliance with the Obama principle, please note that I am asking for an explanation. They deserve that. But I notice a pattern with these particular senators' voting records on many issues that I would consider core issues for the Democratic Party. There have been pleas going out for funds to help many of these same senators to help them save their seats in tough races. Personally, without really persuasive explanations, I would be looking for alternative candidates, individuals who can actually believe in and support most of what the Democratic Party stands for.