"As lawmakers return to Washington with Democrats set to hold a marathon series of hearings on the Iraq war, Mr. Mahoney and other moderates are trying to find a balance between criticizing the Bush administration and supporting the troops, between helping the Democratic leadership keep pressure on the White House over the war, and addressing constituents’ demands on issues closer to home.
Only one Democrat, Representative Brian Baird of Washington, has publicly reversed his position during the current recess to support the president’s strategy. The switch, made after a trip to Iraq last month, infuriated many of his constituents; several hundred spent four hours castigating him at a public forum. His switch also prompted attack advertisements against him by MoveOn.org, a group that opposes the war. " NYT Sept 3, 2007
Down, boys!
Are former insurgent groups like MoveOn.org going to turn on dissenting voices and try to SwiftBoat them?
I have been an opponent of this terrible war from before Day One. It's no credit to me or to anyone else who saw though Bush's phony reasons for going in-it just magnifies the sadness at the toll of innocent slaughter. President Bush has run our country like a dictatorship, as have many Congressional Republicans.
That being said, I believe in the ideal of a democratic America, in which answers come out of debate, not out of attacks on conflicting vies.
Democrats have found themselves at a disadvantage, again and again, for not having one ideology or a party discipline. But having capos, or enforcers, use the tools of the opposition brings them down to the same level as their opponents.
If his constituents really think Baird switched for crass political reasons, OK. We know those who still assert we ought to be in Iraq will try to find a way to make them into advertisements. But if Rep. Baird saw possible progress in Iraq that made him think we ought to stay, then, darn it, he's entitled to an opinion...and a voice.
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