Folks of good judgment and sensible opinions are abuzz about Gordon Smith's coming out party. I suppose that's my cue to open the Overton Window a bit.
You see, I deeply resent the shallow politics that Smith represents. I detest his sense of self-entitlement evidenced not only by the way he ran his businesses, but by the way he votes to inhibit the opportunities of others. His only true deviance from the stereotype of the rich white male boomer, his conversion to a compassionate position on some social topics, is downright Cheneyan--and about as meaningful.
So the latest news about his sudden disapproval over Iraq is oh so entirely predictable, it is about as fresh as Yesterday's breakfast.
Allow me to explain.
- Fact: A super-majority of Americans want all US troops out of Iraq by 2008 or sooner.
- Fact: Bush's approval rating in Oregon, among Smith's constituents, is still in the basement.
- Fact: The pundit class has given up on Iraq.
- Fact: Bush is a Lame Duck who lost both houses of congress.
- Fact: Bush has convinced even the Republican Party that he doesn't care what anyone thinks, we are staying in Iraq, making any dissent from his party officially irrelevant, and therefore safe for moderates to being posturing on.
- Fact: His party is now the minority party in the Senate, and insulated from expectations about holding him accountable.
Question: Who exactly is going to hold Smith accountable for his harsh words, as
someone suggested? I can't figure it out.
- Fact: There is absolutely no way we can hold Smith accountable for his words by expecting him to promptly act on this statement.
- Fact: His voting record is a 100% rubber stamp for Bush on Iraq and the War on Terra.
- 9/28/06 Vote 259: S 3930: S. 3930 As Amended; Military Commissions Act of 2006
Yes.
- 6/22/06 Vote 182: S 2766: Levin Amdt. No. 4320; To state the sense of Congress on United States policy on Iraq.
No. - 6/22/06 Vote 181: S 2766: Kerry Amdt. No. 4442; To require the redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq in order to further a political solution in Iraq, encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security, and achieve victory in the war on terror.
No.
- 6/22/06 Vote 182: S 2766: This amendment called on the president to withdraw troops from Iraq, but set no firm deadline.
No.
- Fact: No other state-wide offices are held by Republicans in Oregon right now. I just tossed that in there for fun. Blood in the water and all that.
Conclusion: He waited until the Senate was closing the doors for the year to say it. Hereafter, he will be in the minority and can thrash noisily in ennui, decrying his own rubberstamp record to his pals at The Oregonian, without having to back it up. He is using this as a safe "moderation" moment to reestablish his credentials, with full complicity and permission from his Keepers in DC. This statement can only be viewed as election-cycle recalibration and rank demagoguery.
He does this repositioning (from rubberstamp to "moderate" when his when he is up for reelection and back again), and while he claims it is on principle those principles evaporate after he gets his subscription to Roll Call renewed.
Resources: