Democrats Don't Need a Plan

Democrats are under NO obligation to tell everyone what they would do differently in Iraq for a lot of reasons. To begin with, this administration is 100% responsible for any problems we are having there. Second, given that this is without question the most secretive administration in our nation's history, how can anyone else evaluate the situation without facts? They have done everything they can to keep the truth from the public AND from the Democrats in Congress. They have exercised their authority over this war in secret and behind closed doors. Democrats were not invited to discuss the matter because Bush and Cheney have been operating under the Unitary Executive theory which, in essence, means that they don't need to consult with other branches of Congress. It is the same theory of governance that Richard Nixon thought appropriate. (You remember, "If the president does it, that means it's not illegal.")

On the Legislative side of the government, the Republican Party has literally shut the Democrats out of any real opportunity to write meaningful legislation. They are not allowed to assign members to conference reports, where the final version of the bill gets written before being sent back for final passage. They're lucky if anything they managed to get into the bill before then stays in it, and they have had legislaiton they've authored, and got passed with bi-partisan support, removed from final versions of the bill. And too often they have to vote on it without sufficient time to read it, and someties without ever seeing an actual copy of what is being voted on. Because this is how the Republicans have run the Congress. Remember that infamous $87 billion "emergency" appropriation for the war in Iraq? The Republicans wanted to pay for it by borrowing the money; the Democrats wanted to pay for it by taking back some of the tax breaks for the most wealthy. The Republicans fought them and won. We borrowed the money. And when Democrats voted against the way this was being funded, the Republicans mendaciously accused them of voting against the troops. They are, for the most part, shameful, vile, disgusting pigs, and they don't deserve to have the honor and privilege of serving the American people in their federal government.

No. Iraq is purely a Republican problem. They are responsible for solving it. And so far, nothing they've done has worked. Maybe they could ask the other side for help, instead of demonizing them as useless? This is the problem with ideological thinking, especailly when it mixes with highly partisan politics. These people supporting the war have been wrong about virtually everything (except our quick military capture of Baghdad and Saddam, and everyone on both sides agreed that was a given). But it has been their ideology that has driven their policy, and their ideology tells them that democracy is the answer. But are they even asking the right questions? The answer to what? Exactly what problem that exists there is going to be solved by forcing them into a democracy?