Brookhaven Courier

Issue date: 11/14/05 Section: Opinion

Playing catch-up on previous opinions is always amusing to me and realizing how quickly things change tends to be the final result. In the April 4, 2005, issue of the Brookhaven Courier, I wrote that Democrats needed to drink from a big cup of get over it in reference to the war in Iraq. Now over half a year later, things have moved in a different direction as they are often inclined to do.

The insurgents in Iraq are still fighting for their country's independence from the invading forces led by the United States. To find anything positive in what is happening there is almost impossible. The only positive event that occurred this year was the success of the Iraqi elections in January.

While those elections, on paper, showed a desire for freedom from many voters in Iraq, what they did not show was that 10 months later U.S. forces would still be involved in a deep entanglement. The hope was for Democrats, after taking their respective big drink, to then move into realizing the reality of the situation in Iraq. Sadly, that has still not happened.

The Democrats were provided a great opportunity to fight for the freedom of the Iraqis, but instead have sat on their hands and kept their mouths shut. Finding commentary as to a solution for the situation in Iraq is virtually impossible. Most upsetting is the lack of a spine shown in standing up for what the left supposedly believes and then telling the administration what is wrong along with informing the American people.

The scariest aftereffect of the Democrat's complacency will be seen in the November 2006 congressional elections. The Democrats are in position to gain seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate because of the Republican party's incompetence, lack of honesty and, as in several recent instances, indicted criminal behavior.

With Republicans providing a carte blanche election cycle, the Democrats are playing the same political strategy that worked gangbusters for them in their recent losses in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

The great irony here is that Democrats have forgotten the one that brought them to the dance. Former President Bill Clinton in 1992, throughout his presidency and before 1992 was about as unscrupulous as a politician can get.

The disturbing aspect of charging away from Clinton's style is that Republicans now have picked up that fumbled opportunity and run into the end zone for the election winning score.

For Democrats to connect again with voters, they need to recognize that politics are dirty, dishonest and downright unsavory. To think that the wishy-washy style of Senator John Kerry's run for presidency in 2004 would win is a perfect example of the failures.

As the 2006 election cycle nears, now is the time for clear-cut maneuvering and message defining. If Democrats wait too long, they will gain seats in the house and senate, but because of their lack of ideas to fix things, in the end nothing in Iraq will change.

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