I have about as much confidence in the Democratic-controlled Congress’s intention to end the war as I do in the mainstream media’s reportage of real news and truth. With this said, I must weigh in on the House’s passage of the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, a war funding bill for troop withdrawal by December of 2008, a date that is not a deadline but a goal.
White House response to the bill was: “These votes, like the dozens of previous failed votes, put the interests of radical interest groups ahead of the needs of our military and their mission.” The statement is predictable and Orwellian on many levels.
First, let’s consider the “needs of our military” and “their mission.” Our troops have been betrayed by a commander-in-chief who boozed and detoured his way through the Air National Guard and, then, years later, signed the death warrants of nearly 4200 coalition forces as well as more than a million Iraqi civilians. It’s not enough to emphasize that young men and women were thrown into battle without proper equipment. They should not have been sent at all. Lied to about threats of weapons and terrorists in a country that had no connection to an attack on the United States, our military shocked and awed a civilization. And all the while, George, Dick, Donald, Condi, and Karl lay down to pleasant dreams of accomplished missions.
Next, take a look at “radical interest groups” and bear in mind that a majority of Americans no longer support this war and its funding and, in fact, believe that it wasn’t worth fighting. To the Bush administration, this majority would be a “radical interest group.” Again, using the word “radical,” White House spokesperson Dana Perino criticized the war funding bill as “political posturing and to appease radical groups.” So, you are “radical” if you oppose the war despite your majority opinion.
Environment-hating Missouri Congressman, Roy Blunt, had this to say about the bill: “The Democrats appear to never get tired of foregone conclusions-never get tired of doing the same thing over and over again, with the same result.” By the way, Blunt was listed by Citizens for Ethics in September of 2006 as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress. He’s glommed onto George/Dick’s warmongering exactly like he’s described the Dems-he never gets “tired of foregone conclusions”-never gets “tired of doing the same thing over and over again, with the same result.” Oh, yeah, Blunt used to be a driver for John Ashcroft.
Getting the war bill through the Senate will be a struggle and if by some miracle, it passes, Bush will veto it, but that doesn’t really matter to those who crafted it. If they wanted an end to war, they could stop the funding. Instead, they are merely attempting to placate the voters who are demanding an end to the occupation of Iraq. Congressmen and women who are up for reelection in 2008 should pay attention to their constituents. Most likely, they won’t. And this is why we, the American people, need to react to the timidity of the democrats we elected in 2006 to stop the war and to the rabid Republicans and Democrats who continue their lust for military invasion. It’s not radical to seek justice. Nor is it radical to demand impeachment. Both are necessary to heal our nation and to restore its reputation. For Nancy Pelosi to take impeachment off the table emphasizes her lack of leadership and underscores what an incompetent president she would be (Cindy for Congress!) if Bush and Cheney were impeached and she ascended. We need to disorderly and responsibly redeploy all members of Congress out of Washington, DC and back to wherever in search of employment not paid for by taxpayers-unless, of course, these politicians finally perform their duties to listen to the will of the people and uphold the Constitution.
Missy Beattie lives in New York City. She’s written for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine. An outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq, she’s a member of Gold Star Families for Peace. She completed a novel last year, but since the death of her nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, in Iraq on August 6,’05, she has been writing political articles. She can be reached at: Missybeat@aol.com