Beinart accuses Congressional Democrats of pandering...

[SaveElmer]

Pander and Run

By Peter Beinart
Friday, July 28, 2006; Page A25

After years of struggling to define their own approach to post-Sept. 11 foreign policy, Democrats seem finally to have hit on one. It's called pandering. In those rare cases when George W. Bush shows genuine sensitivity to America's allies and propounds a broader, more enlightened view of the national interest, Democrats will make him pay. It's jingoism with a liberal face.

The latest example came this week when Democratic senators and House members demanded that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki either retract his criticisms of Israel or forfeit his chance to address Congress. Great idea. Maliki -- who runs a government propped up by U.S. troops -- is desperate to show Iraqis that he is not Washington's puppet. And the United States desperately needs him to succeed because, unless he gains political credibility at home, his government will have no hope of surviving on its own.

Maliki took a small step in that direction this week when he articulated a view of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict quite different from that of the Bush administration. His views were hardly surprising: Iraq is not only a majority-Arab country; it is a majority-Shiite Arab country. And in a democracy, leaders usually reflect public opinion. Maliki's forthright disagreement with the United States was a sign of political strength, one the Bush administration wisely indulged.

But not congressional Democrats. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid demanded that Maliki eat his words or be disinvited from addressing Congress. "Your failure to condemn Hezbollah's aggression and recognize Israel's right to defend itself raise serious questions about whether Iraq under your leadership can play a constructive role in resolving the current crisis and bringing stability to the Middle East," wrote Reid and fellow Democratic Sens. Richard J. Durbin and Charles E. Schumer on July 24.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072701222.html

Although I believe Hezbollah is a despicable organization best wiped off the face of the earth, and although I believe Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah Rocket attacks, kidnappings and suicide bombings (I do question some of their decision making in the current crisis however), Beinart has a point here. I know that view will be unpopular around here because it requires admitting Bush stumbled into the correct reaction...

[madfloridian]

1. Beinart is one reason I unsubscribed from TNR

He is very much into the spreading of Democracy. And he is telling Dems what to do? Shades of the DLC, the group that is giving a year's subscription free to the TNR.

[acmejack]

3. You have to unsubscribe too!

They will automatically renew you until you call them and make them stop.

[madfloridian]

5. I did. I got a refund from them.

Finally.

[AX10]

2. Beinhart will find any chance to bash the "left".

Beinhart does not give praise to anyone but the right. He and the DLC are what is wrong with the Democratic party.

[SaveElmer]

8. Funny you should criticize bashing...

Kos makes a living bashing fellow Democrats...I guess their not "real" Democrats though eh?

[Cocoa]

4. the less the dems listen to Beinart the better

n/t

[AX10]

6. Also, Maliki is an anti-semite too. Reid and Pelosi were right...

to critisize Maliki for his shameful remarks. Beinhart should just drop dead.

[Donna Zen]

7. Bush's Failure

If the mission in Iraq (and yes, I know bush has changed it so often one gets confused) is to spread democracy, and bring Iraq into the modern world, then he has failed. Of course long before that, he failed to tell the truth, and he failed militarily. All of his foreign policy is a failure.

Maliki is an ally of Iran, and thus, Iran no longer has a buffer zone to its west. Maliki is not an ally of the USA, and he. as a pan-Islamist, will never be one.

This is what America has paid for with our blood and treasure: Bush's failure. Whatever statements the Democrats made were true, and Beinart, who along with the DLC supported the war, doesn't want anyone to know that. Instead, they chide anyone as stupid who dares remind them of how horribly wrong they were.

The most important thing that we can do is to repeat this over and over again: It is not mission accomplished, it is mission Bush's failure.

Yo Beinart, there is never anything wrong with the truth.

Besides, don't worry about Maliki, this probably raised his poll numbers in Iraq.

[Joe Bacon]

9. I refuse to read the New REPUBLICAN

I am so sick and tired of right wing liars like Beinart, Glass, Sullivan and Kelly. The New REPUBLICAN has NO credibility whatsoever!