It’s Still About Iraq
13 November 2006 12:36 am by Taylor Marsh
It's Still About Iraq –updated–
Looks like Mort Kondracke blew this one. On the “Beltway Boys” he stated that
Hoyer will be Democratic majority leader with no problem. Mort should check
his connections with the new boss.
Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi has thrown her endorsement behind Rep. John Murtha. Of course, that doesn't mean it's certain until the vote, but it's a pretty serious nod in his direction.
For me this is about one thing and one thing only. Guess
what it is.
Pelosi, in a letter distributed Sunday to newly elected House Democrats,
wrote that Murtha's outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq helped change
the electoral campaign for the House this fall. Murtha began calling for a
U.S. pullout from Iraq a year ago, and his open opposition to the war made
him a focus of intense criticism from Republicans and the White House.Pelosi, though, credited Murtha, one of her closest allies in the House,
with changing the national debate on the issue and helping provide Democratic
challengers and incumbents with a winning argument for the mid-term elections.
It's really simple for me. If Democrats get it wrong on Iraq, 2008 will be a
nightmare. But it's even more critical. If we get it wrong on Iraq, it will be hung around our necks like Vietnam, lasting decades. The situation is beyond the critical point.
Baghdad's morgues are full.
With no space to store bodies, some victims of the sectarian slaughter are not being kept for relatives to claim, but photographed, numbered and quickly interred in government cemeteries.
Men fearful of an anonymous burial are tattooing their thighs with names and phone numbers.
In October, a particularly bloody month for Iraqi civilians, about 1,600 bodies were turned in at the Baghdad central morgue, said its director, Dr. Abdul-Razaq al-Obaidi.
But the White House is still in Republican hands, so it's going to take some serious campaigning to get this done and explain it. The president doesn't want this to happen and will fight against it as long as he can because he's now worried about his legacy.
On Iraq, no one is better at explaining what needs to be done than
Murtha. His closeness with the majority of the military is another huge plus in our favor.
All this being true, I come to this knowing that there are complications with
Murtha when you start going down the list of other things to be done, other
issues to be addressed. We disagree on many other issues. But when people are dying by the dozens, it focuses the mind.
Murtha changed the dialogue in this country when he admitted he made a mistake
in voting for the war, and wanted to help change the course. There's also the reality that I'm not convinced withdrawal is a done deal right now, regardless of our numbers. So, as things stand now, I'm with Murtha.
Bush, as commander in chief, is not going to be made to withdraw troops from
Iraq easily. McCain and Lieberman want escalation, just like back with Nixon,
which I remember well.
The election may be over, but the battle to change the policy in Iraq is just beginning.
UPDATE (1:01 p.m.): Is Mort right? New developments. MSNBC is now reporting the line that Pelosi stayed with Murtha out of loyalty, comparing her actions to the way Bush acts. Matthews is also saying that Hoyer has the votes and will prevail. They've been slicing and dicing Pelosi's endorsement letter as well. This is not good coming out of the gate for Pelosi. Stay tuned.
