An astonishing rumor has been circulating recently – the Democratic Party may just be growing a backbone.
For anyone keeping up on the news and desperately waiting for a sign that the Democratic Party is still alive, this announcement may seem shocking.
In the past few months, the irate liberals screaming, “Down with the Bush regime!” on Bruin Walk have been garnering more attention than Democratic leaders. Democrats have been trembling in a corner, watching the GOP stumble, but too afraid of appearing unpatriotic to take advantage of the gold mine of Republican screw-ups – until now.
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that prior to the war in Iraq, German authorities warned the Bush administration that information from “one of the most important informants on Saddam Hussein’s suspected weapons of mass destruction” was “not proven.”
According to German authorities, the source’s mental stability was also not proven. Hopefully this was on the agenda for discussion during a secret session called by Senate Democrats earlier this month.
Another topic might have been the indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, for lying during an investigation of the leak of a CIA agent’s identity – an agent who just happened to be married to a vocal opponent of the war. The source of the evidence incriminating Libby? His personal notes. He all but tied his own noose.
The Republicans are practically begging Democrats to highlight their mistakes for voters. And to their credit, the Democrats seem to be taking the bait. Democratic Representative John Murtha made waves by declaring that the U.S. should immediately withdraw from Iraq.
Unable to let just one person have all the fun, Democratic Senators Russ Feingold and Barack Obama are advocating a plan to gradually withdraw troops. No matter which course of action is wiser – an immediate or gradual withdrawal – at least the Democrats are finally showing signs of opposition to this administration’s we’ll-just-wait-and-see policy.
Hints of frustration are beginning to surface; one day someone might even get angry. Finally a decent campaign adviser let Democrats in on the age-old political secret of winning over the public: appearing human.
And this new humanity is terrifying the Republicans, who are showing signs of desperation. Ann Coulter wrote that Democrats who desire withdrawal from Iraq “long to see U.S. troops shot” and “humiliated.” This accusation would be comical, aside from its morbid nature and the fact that Coulter probably really believes this.
In a less extreme but equally frantic defense, Republican Representative Jean Schmidt recently called Murtha a “coward” for his call to withdraw troops from Iraq.
She later stated she was quoting someone else’s allegation after she realized Murtha is a decorated Vietnam vet – a fact she apparently didn’t hear repeated over and over again during the congressional debates. Oh, and when asked for comment, Someone Else, a colonel in the Marines, later denied making the statement.
The Republicans are growing sloppy – an excellent sign that Democrats are getting into their heads, having an effect, and causing intimidation.
But why now? After all the nervous silence, what has caused the uproar? Perhaps it’s the surfacing of information regarding corruption in the administration. The National Journal reported that 10 days after Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush was told by his own intelligence officials that virtually no evidence could be found linking Saddam to al-Qaida. Now when White House officials answer war critics by saying, “Hey, you guys voted for it too,” the Democrats have a defense: Deceit made Congress incapable of making an informed decision.
Or perhaps this new fervor is a result of Democrat interpretation of a computer-imposed black X that appeared over Dick Cheney’s face on CNN, without the help of a human operator, as a divine message.
Whatever the motivation, at least Democrats are making news. In order to gain supporters, they must at least have a presence in the public eye.
If they continue to speak out about these new-fangled “opinions” and refuse to back down, they may even have a chance at the White House in 2008.
As we learned in 2004, superior qualifications, a more coherent platform, or even the ability to speak better English are qualities that go unnoticed without a strong voice attracting attention.
Displays of decisiveness and leadership are the only way to take advantage of the fact that only about 34 percent of Americans currently approve of Bush.
So please, e-mail your Democratic representatives and let them know that all this hell-raising has not gone unappreciated. A lack of support could lead to Democrats resuming their silence and, heaven forbid, another conservative administration in 2008.
If visions of Coulter haunt your nightmares, e-mail Strickland at kstrickland@media.ucla.edu to commiserate. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.