I wanted to look at Digby's thoughts on the idea of the Democrats not needing to do anything in the reality that the Republicans are imploding on a regular basis nowdays.   I got sidetracked, thinking I had not read 'Behind the Headlines' in a while.   Digby's idea, which he has expressed over a period of time, is directly related to Justin Raimondo's take on what Murtha has said.

Murtha points out that the American People know it is time to get out and so do the Generals that were ignored before getting into this quagmire.   We have Democrats and even a few Republicans who are admitting it's time to own up to the fack that they were wrong and start talking about what to do that is right this time.   The important thing to focus on is dealing with the reality you have and not some NeoCon DreamWorld scheme.   The majority of the whole country (60% - 70%) can't be wrong.   That is what Democracy is all about.   The Wingnuts will just have to deal with it.

It is time for some more gentle nudges in the right direction and Murtha's bravery in admitting he was wrong is a good first step.   I heard over the weekend somewhere that the initial nudge in the War in VietNam was Walter Cronkite in 1968 admitting that the war was not going to get any better.   It was referenced to the Murtha positioning and that his actions may be a similar catalyst.   It was four years and thousands more casualties before the fall of Saigon.

We can only hope it does not take that long this time.   - fc


Murtha Is Right

The Democratic Party "leadership" is wrong

by Justin Raimondo

November 21, 2005

"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region." - Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.)

That's what this controversy is all about: the reemergence of opposition to the war from within the top echelons of the uniformed military, as well as the intelligence community and the Democratic Party. It was the generals, you'll remember, who opposed this war and pointed out our unpreparedness from the very beginning, starting with but not limited to Gen. Eric Shinseki, who was fired for saying we would need 200,000 troops for the occupation. Now that their predictions have come true, in spades, and our armed forces are being chewed up on the battlefields of Iraq, the uniformed wing of the Peace Party is returning for a second engagement (Military and intelligence officials call for withdrawal), and they're bringing out the big guns (Lt. Gen. Odom's Gives 9 Reasons for Withdrawal).

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