ponderings
The sign of the enduring lameness of the Democratic Party, one which manifests itself exactly as such with alarming frequency, was shown in the party’s deference to Senators John McCain, John Warner, and Lindsey Graham when those three spoke up to battle down the hatchets of Bush’s current war against the Geneva Convention. Essentially, the Democratic Party does not believe it itself, or members attached to it, has the credibility to make any comments — and it’s good of McCain, Warner, and Graham to speak and “let them be our guide”. McCain — tortured in Vietnam; Graham — a former JAG officer; Warner — well, I’m pretty sure he was identified as something or other of major import.
This leads to there being no real out for when McCain, Warner, and Graham (with Arlen Specter) eventually craft something that meets roughly what Bush desires. And the questions loom over the Democratic Party for all eternity. It took a journey from a normally uber-hawkish Democratic Party house-member — essentially a house member for the delegation of the Pentagon — Jack Murtha — for the Democratic Party to come to an official anti-Iraq War position. The story of how that happened, from behind closed doors, appears to have been with prodding from Nancy Pelosi — who herself did not “have the credentials” to take any stand for public consumption. (How is she supposed to work as Speaker of the House, and public office of a majority party “without the credentials” or credibility on any number of items, we shall see.)