“No Principles Beyond Political Expedience”
I rather suspect Peter Beinart just got himself dropped from a number of Democratic politician's Christmas card lists. I also rather think he doesn't give a fig. Writing in the Washington Post he describes what he sees as the new Democratic party policy. Pander and run. It's a brutal assessment.
After years of struggling to define their own approach to post-Sept. 11 foreign policy, Democrats seem finally to have hit on one. It's called pandering. In those rare cases when George W. Bush shows genuine sensitivity to America's allies and propounds a broader, more enlightened view of the national interest, Democrats will make him pay. It's jingoism with a liberal face.
The latest example came this week when Democratic senators and House members demanded that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki either retract his criticisms of Israel or forfeit his chance to address Congress. Great idea. Maliki — who runs a government propped up by U.S. troops — is desperate to show Iraqis that he is not Washington's puppet. And the United States desperately needs him to succeed because, unless he gains political credibility at home, his government will have no hope of surviving on its own.
Maliki took a small step in that direction this week when he articulated a view of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict quite different from that of the Bush administration. His views were hardly surprising: Iraq is not only a majority-Arab country; it is a majority-Shiite Arab country. And in a democracy, leaders usually reflect public opinion. Maliki's forthright disagreement with the United States was a sign of political strength, one the Bush administration wisely indulged.
But not congressional Democrats. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid demanded that Maliki eat his words or be disinvited from addressing Congress. "Your failure to condemn Hezbollah's aggression and recognize Israel's right to defend itself raise serious questions about whether Iraq under your leadership can play a constructive role in resolving the current crisis and bringing stability to the Middle East," wrote Reid and fellow Democratic Sens. Richard J. Durbin and Charles E. Schumer on July 24.
This is as rough as it gets in assessing the party strategy up until now. Beinart is tough as heck on the Democratic "leadership" - and with good cause. What they have been doing is shameful, sleazy pandering. Mostly playing to the left, the Pelosi-Reid strategy is to be against Bush - even if it screws allies. That one of Pelosi's strongest allies is the execrable John Murtha pretty well wraps it up. Read this whole thing. It is as good as it gets.
UPDATE: Others: The Influence Peddler, Captain's Quarters,
Other Links to this Post
-
Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » A Rarity In The Democratic Party — Friday, 28 July , 2006 @ 11:14 am
By Jeffrey, Friday, 28 July , 2006 @ 8:02 am
Nice, but Democratic politician’s don’t have Christmas card lists- they have “holiday” card lists!
By Gaius, Friday, 28 July , 2006 @ 8:14 am
Oops. Right you are!