Webb for Senate

While it is still not clear how George Bush’s Congressional apologists for the Iraq War will defend their seats in November, two trial balloons have been loosed. The first, prominently represented by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, is to spit into the wind and continue the mindless chant that it was a great idea when we attacked and remains one now. And the second, championed by Virginia Senator George Allen in his constantly tightening race with Democrat James Webb, is to pooh-pooh Webb’s pre-war warnings against attacking Iraq as placing him in an “I-told-you-so-caucus” that will turn off The Old Dominion’s middle of the road and conservative voters.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101555_2.html?referrer=emailarticle

Republicans in anything resembling contested seats will obviously see Lieberman’s growing difficulties with the head on attack and are likely to opt for the Allen approach. The question is will the sloughing off of this national tragedy have traction with voters already not committed? Clearly, Bush’s base, of which no one is baser than Allen who is regularly and correctly labeled a Bush lap dog, will buy the proposition but how will it play with independents and moderates who along with liberals are now firmly in the camp of those who see the war as a horrible blunder and an endless quagmire?

Webb – and the other Democrats (except Lieberman) – should counterattack opponents who propose to cavalierly toss off the endless war as something that we must just slog on with despite limitless casualties and wasted treasure. Allen offers no way out of Iraq; only Jim Webb and the Democrats can find an honorable way out in some reasonable time frame.

Allen and other defenders of the war must be challenged when they claim the Democrats are divided and have no plan on how to end the war with the administration’s policy of standing down only when the Iraqis a ready no matter how long it takes. Clearly that day is far off and may well be receding further into the distant future with each passing day. Not only that, but office holders who persist in calamitous policies must see that failure to change course in the face of overwhelming evidence of error must end in defeat and banishment from Congress.

We must have Congressional oversight of this administration and divided government in 2008.

Had enough? Vote Democrat! Virginians – vote for Jim Webb!

Blog on!

Wild Bill