HOUSE DEMS CONFRONT THE WAR-- BUSH DOESN'T NEED A BITCH McCONNELL THERE; HE'S GOT THE RAHM AND HOYER TEAM TO DO HIS DIRTY WORK

Some House Dems are starting to have second thoughts about how easily they allowed Rahm Emanuel to slither into a House leadership role this year. The "Tom DeLay of the Democratic Party" is the 4th ranking Democrat in the caucus. With even some Republicans now recognizing that Bush's war in Iraq is the most pressing issue of our time, resentment is building about the Emanuel/Hoyer strong arm tactics to eliminate bills that would actually challenge Bush and move seriously towards ending the war. Both Emanuel and Hoyer are war supporters who masquerade as opponents. Yesterday there were reports that Democrats favoring Nancy Pelosi's and Jack Murtha's approach-- to end the war-- were trying to "reconcile deep differences within the party." And today's Washington Post is reporting that, sure enough, the House will take up another foolish symbolic, nonbinding piece of crap, pushed by anti-grassroots corporate hacks Emanuel and his tail, Hoyer.


And the problem is Emanuel, who adamantly opposes any proposals that would seriously seek to end the war or even stop the escalation. He and his tail had every intention of shaping a "symbolic resolution" denouncing  Bush's troop buildup plan. This way they can make some political hay without jeopardizing the war itself. This is the worst kind of political game playing and makes Emanuel and Hoyer complicit to all the crimes the Bush Regime is perpetrating in Iraq.


Yesterday I wrote about the Progressive Caucus' powerful anti-war stand, a path popular with grassroots Democrats but one that Emanuel will absolutely not allow the caucus to follow-- even if it takes planting vicious little stories about Nancy Pelosi in the press. This morning the New York Times informs us that Blue America-backed freshman congressman "Joe Sestak (D-PA) a former three-star admiral who was elected in November, introduced legislation on Thursday calling for American troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by the year’s end. Under his plan, financing for the American forces in Iraq would expire on Dec. 31. 'The nonbinding resolution is a necessary step, but it’s insufficient,' Mr. Sestak said in an interview on Thursday. 'But even if it’s a half-measure, I will take any measure that moves us further down that line.'" Emanuel and Hoyer, Bush and Cheney are counting on that attitude to allow the war to proceed unmolested.


Some Republicans, however-- nasty, political game-playing ones-- will taunt Democrats about why they are taking up a nonbinding resolution instead of actual legislation. "They are now in the majority," said Representative Howdy Doody of Florida. "They finally have the opportunity to change policy and they are putting up a sense of the Congress resolution, which is worth about as much as the parchment it’s printed on." I would love to hear what Rahm and Hoyer have to say; I'm sure we all would.


Congressman Dennis  Kucinich (D-OH) recognizes Emanuel's treachery for what it is. "The nonbinding resolution is like putting your foot on the brake for a moment and a few weeks later, putting your foot on the accelerator. A nonbinding resolution just doesn't cut it." Emanuel laughs at him and his idealism. Emanuel tries to make believe there are no nuances. He told the New York Times "If you want to vote for the escalation, you can vote yes [on the symbolic, nonbinding crap]. If you want to vote against the escalation, you can vote no."