The moment I knew we were going to war in Iraq didn’t come until October, 2002. It wasn’t until the finality of a democratic deriliction of duty occured that I was convinced that war was inevitable. I was somewhat naive then, and not a bit more idealistic than I am now. And yet, somehow, that was the day I decided I had to be a Democrat. For the few who fought this. The thing that’s never going to change, the one thing that I can say with certainty, is that the Republican Party is completely intent on using fear to drive us apart. It works. Fear of gays, fear of terrorists, fear of Mexicans, fear of drugs, fear of sex… Whatever the fear is, they use it against the American people.
So, why do we fight? Because we can’t let them win. Even when it seems like we live in a backwards, intolerant state, or when our Congress is intent on prolonging the war in Iraq, we can’t give up. We can’t allow fear to take over. Progress will come.
As upset as I am at the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, I am pleased with Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, and Hillary Clinton for voting against this despicable piece of garbage foisted on the American people. Obama, especially, has been forceful in his criticisms of Bush and the war with this vote.
No more excuses for the President. He got exactly what he wanted. No more excuses for the Democrats: next time, you play ball for real.