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May 22, 2007
Bob Kerrey Proves Reasonable Democrats Still Exist
Democrats who don't side with the bad guys are on the endangered species list, but they aren't extinct quite yet, as former Senator Bob Kerrey proves in a compelling WSJ editorial. Highlights:
Let me restate the case for this Iraq war from the U.S. point of view. The U.S. led an invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein because Iraq was rightly seen as a threat following Sept. 11, 2001. […]
No matter how incompetent the Bush administration and no matter how poorly they chose their words to describe themselves and their political opponents, Iraq was a larger national security risk after Sept. 11 than it was before. And no matter how much we might want to turn the clock back and either avoid the invasion itself or the blunders that followed, we cannot. The war to overthrow Saddam Hussein is over. What remains is a war to overthrow the government of Iraq. […]
Suppose we had not invaded Iraq and Hussein had been overthrown by Shiite and Kurdish insurgents. Suppose al Qaeda then undermined their new democracy and inflamed sectarian tensions to the same level of violence we are seeing today. Wouldn't you expect the same people who are urging a unilateral and immediate withdrawal to be urging military intervention to end this carnage? I would.
American liberals need to face these truths: The demand for self-government was and remains strong in Iraq despite all our mistakes and the violent efforts of al Qaeda, Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias to disrupt it. Al Qaeda in particular has targeted for abduction and murder those who are essential to a functioning democracy: school teachers, aid workers, private contractors working to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure, police officers and anyone who cooperates with the Iraqi government. Much of Iraq's middle class has fled the country in fear.
With these facts on the scales, what does your conscience tell you to do? If the answer is nothing, that it is not our responsibility or that this is all about oil, then no wonder today we Democrats are not trusted with the reins of power. American lawmakers who are watching public opinion tell them to move away from Iraq as quickly as possible should remember this: Concessions will not work with either al Qaeda or other foreign fighters who will not rest until they have killed or driven into exile the last remaining Iraqi who favors democracy.
The key question for Congress is whether or not Iraq has become the primary battleground against the same radical Islamists who declared war on the U.S. in the 1990s and who have carried out a series of terrorist operations including 9/11. The answer is emphatically "yes."
This does not mean that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11; he was not. Nor does it mean that the war to overthrow him was justified—though I believe it was. It only means that a unilateral withdrawal from Iraq would hand Osama bin Laden a substantial psychological victory.
The victory wouldn't only be psychological, but tactical and strategic as well.
Good thing for Kerrey that being president of the New School, he doesn't have to run for office as a Democrat again any time soon. Imagine the money the Soros machine would spend to defeat him. He would have to run as an independent like Joe Lieberman, bypassing the corrupt Democrat Party and going straight to the voters.
| Too bad no Dems of Kerrey's caliber are running for POTUS. |
On tips from Varla and Bergbikr.
Posted by Van Helsing at May 22, 2007 10:09 AM
Comments
Former Sen. Kerrey hit the proverbial nail on the head when he wrote: "Al Qaeda in particular has targeted for abduction and murder those who are essential to a functioning democracy: school teachers, [et al.]." And what does that tell you? Possibly that we need to do what we've always needed to do, and get to it right now: target al Qaeda (and their comrades) for immediate extermination, no matter the "collateral damage," or any other extraneous matter.
Anything less means they will only carry on their campaign of murder, unabated terror and all else once we're gone, should we leave them in place. In that event, there is no hope whatsoever for any form of democratic government to survive in Iraq, much less in the rest of the Middle East (someday).
Makes me wonder: "What the Hell are we waiting for?" Crush these vermin, and do it now. Of course, if we leave the weird beards in Iran in place, as well, nothing we do in Iraq will ultimately be of any consequence.
Posted by: jc14 at May 22, 2007 10:54 AM
It's good to know about Democrats like this, so we can reminisce about when the Democratic Party was sane, and we were in good hands (with the notable exception of the Carter Administration, of course) with either party in power.
To see just how far the rot has gone, reread one of JFK's (the real one, not Lurch, a JFK-Lite wannabe) speeches. (e.g., "We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.")
Can you imagine a Democrat saying that today?He'd be Liebermanned today as a right-wing fascist warmonger and villified in the press as a lunatic.
Posted by: Jay Guevara at May 22, 2007 10:59 AM
I think at this point, I can understand why Bob Kerry decided to give up his seat in the Senate as a member of the democrat party.
Personal political beliefs that go to the point that George Bush is a racist, Hitlerilistc , homophobic, Islamnist-hating, baby-killing, money-grubbing big oil man, and uses more than one sheet of ass-wipe to clean himself after a big taco dinner crap episode while perched upon the white shitter goes beyond me.
Maybe, just maybe, Bob Kerry understands that democrat party politics should be about good and productive things they will do, not just slamming the opposition.
Posted by: Eneils Bailey at May 22, 2007 12:06 PM
Kerrey is a former Navy Seal, who left part of a leg in Vietnam. He also received the Medal of Honor. And unlike MacBeth, his story checks out.
Still fighting the Good Fight after all these years.
Posted by: phil at May 22, 2007 12:23 PM
I almost forgot: In 1992, Kerrey ran for President. He referred to Bill Clinton as an "exceptionally good liar."
Posted by: phil at May 22, 2007 12:48 PM
I almost forgot that the last time I talked to Bob Kerrey was on a Saturday at the Comp USA Store in Omaha, NE, during Algore's attempt to steal the 2000 election.
He asked me what I thought about the recount activity in Florida, and I told him that I was praying that Algore wouldn't succeed at stealing the election. I told Bob that Algore is a Tree Stump, claiming that he invented the Internet etc, and just delusional plain dishonest.
Bob said, "Yeah, he just can't tell the truth, can he". However, on the Monday following Bob was in Florida supporting Algore. Hmmmmm, that was disappointing ! ! !
If it were possible to communicate with Bob Kerrey, I would commend him for he recent position on the threat from radical Muslims, and why "Cutting & Running" is the wrong solution to the problem. Even Bob realizes that Congressional Micro-management of the war is a Hair-brained idea.
Dave G.
Posted by: Dave Getzschman at June 9, 2007 11:15 AM
