Why Durbin is supporting Obama, and why I no longer am! How Durbin sizes up support for withdrawal, in agreement with what this writer has been saying right along. And can the Dems parlay Republican rebellion into votes to pass withdrawal? Is it possible? Finally, what FDR had to say about leadership, fear, and courage.
Durbin says, A Quick End to War is Not Realistic
In an appearance on PostTalk, a Washingtonpost.com interview program Senator Dick Durbin, Majority Whip and a strong supporter of the Presidential candidacy of the Junior Illinois Senator Barack Obama, said he was very happy with Obama’s showing thus far in the campaign.
Durbin was quite impressed with his colleague’s fund raising efforts, boasting more than 250,000 donors, "He's done things that no one's ever expected. To have 250,000 contributors at this moment? No one's even close. It's an indication of grass roots support that any presidential candidate would die for."
Durbin appeared pleased that his Illinois colleague consistently stood with him against the war. He contrasted Obama’s stand with both Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Former Senator John Edwards, who both voted in support of the 2002 use of force resolution, which Durbin voted against. However, Durbin did not allude to the realties that (A) Obama was not in office in 2002 and therefore we cannot know how he would have voted then, especially because (B) He has been sounding increasingly like Senator H. Clinton on the war, these last few months.
Durbin compared Obama to President John F. Kennedy, "I think Barack Obama represents something historic," he added that Obama, like Kennedy, will inspire a new generation of hope.
This writer, however, disagrees. I think the comparison is a bit premature and I see, so far little difference between what Mrs. Clinton is saying and what Mr. Obama is failing to say. For me, so far, I see no Democratic candidate who has a chance to win, for which I would vote. Exciting candidates, I have yet to see in either party.
Impeachment is not “off-The Table,” it is instead, just not possible with the present congress. What is possible is gathering an Ad-Hoc Committee to invoke a Special Prosecutor, but even that has slim hope of passing. As I have said repeatedly, this (2006) election, was not a Democratic Victory, but a show of discontent by some Conservative and moderate Republicans joining Democrats, to try something new, a Democrat who sounded enough like a Republican to satisfy their conscience both ways, so what we got in many cases was a Republi-Crat.
Said Durbin, "Obviously there are folks who want the war to end today, and all the troops to be home tomorrow. And even though I think that is a worthy goal, it is not a realistic goal.” Now, that, is an understatement!
"We also understand that just leaving cold turkey, with everything gone, could have the whole region descend into chaos." Withdrawing troops, he said, would have to be a gradual thing, done very responsibly. None of which is a surprise to many of us, who knew that the longer we stayed to steal the oil, the less anyone in congress would put up a fuss to leave it to the Iraqi’s and get the hell out.
Senator Durbin, gently poked at Senator Emeritus John Edwards, who has been castigating his former peers Democratic the Senate, for not fighting with more vigor, to end the war. "I recall when John (Edwards) voted for this war. Therefore, it's understandable that he feels badly about that decision and wants to see something done to undo the harm that has happened. But it has to be done in a sensible way."
When Durbin was asked what he thought the current mood of the Republicans on the war amounted to, he alluded to a dramatic speech a few weeks ago by Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) The senior Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee appeared surprising many at the Senate one night, calling for an immediate change of course.
"I thought, Dick Lugar's position and mine are not different," Durbin said. Quickly other Republican Senators joined Lugar: Senator Pete V. Domenici (N.M.) and George Voinovich (Ohio).
Durbin said, "I can tell they've really lost patience with this administration and its policy in Iraq.”
However, now that the senate has begun Senate two weeks of debate over Iraq and the war, the Republicans have given little further indication of support being manifested by votes. Thus far, Senators Domenici, Voinovich and Lugar, are stalling about setting specific dates for removing troops, joining other Republicans who have voiced enmity about the current war policies and have not followed rhetoric with action.
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