With IVAW, the People Courageously Crossed the Line

IVAW reports on its website that:

When they arrived at the DNC, representatives of IVAW asked to meet with Barack Obama to present their message. After negotiations with the
Former Texas Lt Governor Ben Barnes came out of the convention to accept a letter from the IVAW members. Jeff Key, a former Marine said the IVAW members intended to stay in place until a representative from Obama’s campaign came out to talk with them.

“I’m a patient man. I’m not going anywhere,” Key said.

Key, a former Marine from Salt Lake City, and Liam Madden, a former marine from Boston, were then escorted into the convention where they met with Phil Carter, head of veterans affairs for the Obama campaign. IVAW is now waiting for a formal response to their request address the delegates from the podium.

Lt. Vince Porter of the Denver Police Department said the department coordinated the meeting with the secret service and Obama’s office.

“The police in Denver have been exceptional and very, very supportive,” Key said. “This cannot be an easy job for them either, and they’ve just been incredible.”

This victory was huge for IVAW, which had not been contacted by 3 pm as demanded and which had been ignored by Democrats (except for maybe Dennis Kucinich) when they held their “Winter Soldier Investigation.”

Those in World Can’t Wait and other groups had members who later indicated that they felt this was not a good ending to a stunning act of people power. But, this point of closure was exactly what IVAW needed because it indicated that they have the power to leverage Obama.

No other group in existence today can speak with the moral clarity that IVAW does and confront Obama to change his foreign policy in Iraq and even in the Middle East. That Obama bended proved IVAW could go out again in the next months and push Obama some more.

That we struggled so much with Obama yesterday should be indication that he does not intend to reverse Middle East policy.

I expect the mixed reaction to what IVAW did by many Obama supporters and so-called progressive Democrats. But, IVAW's march and their demands were and still are righteous and if Obama does intend to be the “antiwar candidate,” he must take up IVAW’s demands or expect us all to dispel ourselves of any illusions that he could ever be for peace, freedom, and justice.

The people will stay tuned to see if this notice of consideration was just a political way of not saying yes or no or if it was indication of something more. Should Obama fail to act properly, the people will act.

People in Denver want change. The people want it from the bottom-up and they want the change to recreate an America that operates under a system far better than what the corporate war parties in power wish to govern.

This was truly one of the most fulfilling days of my entire life. And I am so pleased that I had the opportunity to participate in it.  

*Here is a second account of the IVAW march by The Indypendent.

 1  |  2  |  3