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Democratic complicity, like the cowardice and corruption which fuels it, is not some rippling mirage constructed in the fevered brains of frothing leftists.
The complicity of the Democratic Party is real. It has been since well before Day One of George W. Bush's Reign of Profitable Terror. Your response to that complicity is to assign liability to the war's architects and enablers as though you are an insurance representative handling a dented fender claim.
Has the Democratic Party done everything in its power to stop this war? We both know the answer to that question, Joan, even if only one of us will answer it. NO. I would add an emphatic far from it. You would likely disagree.
Play all the semantical games you want. It is, after all, your gig. But don't expect the rest of us to play along. Of course, we don't have to so long as there are millions of voters willing to give them another chance. Given the national propensity for self-delusion and magical thinking, the rest of us will always be outnumbered. That's okay, too, because the rest of us are damn tired of being forced into accommodating the rest of you.
One day, perhaps the rest of us will recognize the obstacles to democratic and Democratic reform, then confront them directly without the usual liberal angst. What separates progressives from our ideological ancestors is our unwillingness to make hard choices and take action. Until we overcome that weakness, we will be failures as citizens and as human beings.
The Republican Party sells fear. Fear of terrorists. Fear of liberals. Fear of impoverishment. Fear of oppression.
The Democrats sell fear, too: Fear of Republicans.
Both parties are selling the same can of botulism. Only the labels differ.
I used to think the Democratic Party which so often aided and abetted George W. Bush did not represent the voters who sustain it. Unfortunately, as your commentary increasingly reflects, that party is a fair representation of its rank & file. Talk about an ugly truth. Were it otherwise, there would be a serious campaign to exact a toll on the Democrats who actively and passively promote the NeoCon agenda. Instead, with the rarest of exceptions, their failures are rationalized and excused by the few centrist and "progressive" figures whose opinions are promulgated via corporate media. Funny how that works.
A party which cannot oppose a tyrant like George W. Bush possesses neither the qualifications nor the will to lead America out of the dark valley of fear. That the Republicans are likewise unfit to lead gives me no comfort. A coward is a coward and a crook is a crook regardless of political affiliation.
This Democratic Party needs to be destroyed so that something useful can be constructed in its place. I don't see that happening because, frankly, not enough people give a damn. By the time you're done prostituting yourself for the Democratic Beltway Elites, it is possible Americans will understand that an '08 Democratic "victory" - just like The Bush Years - will have been constructed from a mountain of lies and our own persistent suspension of disbelief.
So, by all means, go ahead and pin your hopes on an '08 White House victory. When the champaign corks are flying and you're signing up to play White House Spokesperson, remember that it will have been "won" by the needless death and misery of thousands of human beings.
