Democrats still the Ghost Party

The dems are still the 'No there over there" party, ain't they?

Still mumbling about Iraq.

They support the war but want the troops to come home. Or they want Marines to stay in Iraq but want Bush to have a plan. Mumble, mumble, mumble.

These days I'm a democrat but I can't stand Kerry or Dean or Pelosi. I've become one of those Americans who hates all politicians (especially after watching Duke crack on TV).

Its sad, because I think Bush and the repugs are venerable 2006 and 2008 but I look at the Democrats and what do I see?

Nothing, no leadership, no fresh face, no fresh ideas and certainly no one with an opinion that hasn't been crafted by a poll.

If all Repubs are big business crooks, or social conservatives looking for Ozzy and Harriet, then Democrats are confused ambiguous types not sure of anything.

The dems remind me a football team early in the rebuilding phase but still dreaming of the playoffs. No good draft choices, aging quarterbacks, second hand O line, very few prospects for the season ahead. The Forty Niners or Detriot come to mind.

They seem to be waiting for the Repugs to really do something bad that will move the country back their their side of the asle.

Pathetic. All we can do it wait as a new generation of democrats emerge, and hopefully the Repugs will goof up something.

Does Bush even smoke cigars?

The Playground Bully, Humbled?

During Bush's first term the game on the political playground was controlled by the GOP. He had the ball and he played the game he wanted to play. If you didn't want to play his game, then you were off the playground.

After his second term election, he thought it was still his ball, his playground, his rules. But he was wrong.

The last 12 months have brought Nixonian polls numbers, tough sledding in Iraq, a grumpy GOP House and Senate, failed domestic policy (al la SS), and a legal cloud hanging over Rove/Cheney. Its a classic case of second term blues and I do believe it has humbled the once arrogant and insolent Bush White House.

You see hints of this new found humility in the latest round of speeches and town hall meetings. The guy is clearly broken and worried about his historical place. Good. Maybe he can do some good.

He's backed off on the anti torture bill, he's fest up about bad Iraqi intelligence, and he's even taken several non-scripted questions from real Americans. (Saw this on the Daily Show-its hard to watch, but he can learn.)

And now that Bush has come down from his high horse, maybe he can fulfill that first term policitcal promise to be a compassionate conservative.

I'd settle for a less idealogical conservative myself, but that might be asking too much.

Reasons for Iraq

I hate when the right says, "would you rather have Saddam still in power?" That is not the argument. The argument is Bush started a war for completely different reasons then he is now currently fighting that war. To me, that is a failed policy. The policy Bush started with no longer supports the actions he took. Bush has been forced to changed the policy to something different, something that matches the reality on the ground.

Lets toss out two sets of ideas and see what happens to the debate on Iraq.

A. Before the war:
Mushroom clouds
WMD
Ties to terrorists
Yellowcake
Imminent threat
Pre-emptive attack

B. Today:
Giving Iraqis Freedom
Making Iraq democratic
Disposing Saddam
Elections

Big rhetorical difference, no? But here's the kicker. If Bush had tried to sell the war using the rhetoric of column B, it never would have happened. In fact, I'd wager he never would have been interested. Bush could never have gone to the military and said, "I want to dump Saddam, and start a democracy in Iraq." They would have reminded the President that the role of the military is the provide security for the nation.

But here is the irony, I think the American people would have supported this type of reasoning for going into Iraq. And today, although we like to see a time table of some indication of progress, this is the main reason the public still supports the war. I know that I currently support the war because of these reason (although I ask myself if its worth the price).

So we started a war in Iraq for security reasons, and now we are fighting for humanitarian reasons. I think fanally this alignment policy and action will give us our best chance for success.

And it only took Bush three years to figure it out.