Well, there were no flowers or chocolates being handed out there, either. Brazil, that is. The place down under that President Bush is currently visiting to spread his message of – ahem – do what we say or we’ll kick your ass. And, not surprisingly, the good people of Brazil are taking to the streets by the thousands with a greeting that the Bush clan is getting all too familiar with: “Get Out, Imperialist!”
But, back on the home front, the Dems keep offering Bush the shelter he doesn’t deserve. In Vermont, the three-Dem-stooges of our congressional delegation heard the message from Vermonters on Town Meeting day with regard to ending the war NOW and impeaching Bush and – well – ignored it. Completely. So, the message from Leahy-Sanders-Welch to the grassroots people of Vermont was: Bug Out! Wow, nice movement building, Dems.
Of course, none of this is surprising. The Dems have proven time and time again over the last several decades that they have no idea how to lead. And being bold is simply not in their vocabulary let alone their abilities. It just doesn’t happen.
There is, for example, one way for the Democrats to listen to the will of the people and begin to put an end to this war: Cut off the funding. It’s really quite simple. But, yesterday, House Speaker Pelosi came forward with yet another embarrassingly spineless compromise under the name of “the Dem plan” that would continue the FULL funding for the war, allow Bush’s absurd surge, and – get this – kinda-sorta-maybe call for a troop withdrawal by the fall of 2008. So, once again, the message from the Dems to the grassroots people of the world was: Bug Out!
The Dems are, of course, scared shitless by the notion that the Roves of the world will equate any kind of de-funding of the war with not supporting the troops. Quite frankly, that is the most asinine, weak-kneed, illogical and just plain brain-fart dumb kind of weenie excuse that even a blue-dog Democrat could muster. Oh, and did I say it was chickenshit, reckless, un-democratic and – lest I forget – threatening to the troops. You know, those guys coming home in body bags or to inferior treatment at Walter Reed. Oh yeah, baby, keep supporting those troops to death.
Our ambulance-chasing congressman, Peter Welch, was, as usual, slow to the draw on his response to the Pelosi plan. It was, as usual, a big fat zero. If, like me, you’ve bothered to call the very unorganized office of Welch since he took office, you’re getting very used to this response from the young lads answering his phones: “The Congressman hasn’t decided how he’s going to vote on that one.” By all means, Peter, take your fucking time. It’s just a war…. This guy couldn’t make a quick decision to vote on what goddamn day it is.
But for those citizens lucky enough to be represented by politicians without a wet finger in the air to determine the direction of the political winds, they got to wake up and hear this quick reaction to Pelosi’s nonsense: “All this bill will do is fund another year of the war, and I can’t vote for it.” That was from New York’s Jerrold Nadler. And he was joined by many other Dems with a spine, including Maxine Waters and Sheila Jackson Lee, folks who clearly understand that more time in Iraq KILLS troops.
But Welch? He’s still thinking. And thinking. And thinking. And the troops? They’re still dying. And dying. And dying.
Take your time, Peter.
