Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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September 19, 2007 7:36 AM
"Moderation" = Extremist Refusal to End the War
Roll Call's headline today blares "House Centrists Seek a Little Moderation on Iraq." The story is about "a small band of moderate House Democrats and Republicans is hammering out a bipartisan position on the Iraq War."
This story has been written over and over and over again on every single issue. It is as if reporters have a template set up in Microsoft Word, where they just fire up the story and change the names and issues. You know how it goes. It starts out with a declaration that the Brave And Serious "Moderates" are going to "put partisanship aside" and rescue America. Typically, the plan to rescue America is at best a non-binding gesture, and more likely one that runs roughshod over what most Americans actually want - but that kind of context isn't reported in the template.
Yet in this particular Roll Call story it actually is (although perhaps inadvertently).
The article first informs us that the Brave And Serious Heroes "have drafted a letter backing a series of proposals" - the diversionary haze of paperwork about paperwork (letters about proposals??) being one of Washington's tell-tale signs that this is much ado about nothing. This paperwork suggests that the Brave And Serious Heroes may be willing to support non-binding legislation "aimed at shifting the Iraq mission." And then comes the giveaway:
"None of this leads to the end of the war," Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) said, but it would mark a departure from the polarized debate over whether and when to withdraw troops. (emphasis added)
The story goes on to trumpet the Brave And Serious Heroes who are part of a bipartisan Washington dinner party circuit called the "Center Aisle Caucus" spearheaded by New York Democratic Rep. Steve Israel (D) - but the punchline has already been delivered.
As we can see so clearly here, the term "moderate" in Washington when it comes to the war means guaranteeing that whatever bill takes center stage in the war debate - well, that "none of this leads to the end of the war." It means making sure that we "depart from the polarized debate over whether and when to withdraw troops" - you know, the debate over the actual issue, the debate that the latest Gallup Poll shows almost two-thirds of America wants Congress to have - and wants Congress to conclude by passing binding timetables to end the war.
As I have written before, when you look at actual public opinion data, you see that the terms "moderate" and "centrist" in Washington are wholly and completely divorced from the terms "moderate" and "centrist" out in the rest of the country. The term "moderate" may be defined in the dictionary as "avoidance of extremes or excesses" but in D.C. it means the opposite - embrace of extremes or excesses, in grinning defiance of what the public wants.
And that's what it is. When it comes to the war, the so-called "moderates" have taken on the qualities of the smiling Darth Vader-ish poster boy for extremism - Dick Cheney. Remember, it was our Vice President who told ABC News last year the Iraq War "may not be popular with the public - it doesn't matter." I guess he's a "moderate" now too.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
Moderates my behind..
Moderates my Israel lobby lobster tail behind.
Just more D.C. swamp gas emitted by mobile methane generators.
Them "moderate Democrats" in MS do this kind of shit every time. That's why Ronnie Musgrave, DLC "Moderate" hack, was RECALLED in 2003 and replaced with a heavy lobbyist called Haley Barbour just like Gray Davis was replaced with a Hollywood elitist and KING OF SPECIAL INTERESTS Arnold Schwarzeneggar ! Any "moderate" Republicans such as Olympia Snowe, John Warner, Arnold, etc ... or "moderate" Democrats such as Musgrave, John Breaux, Mary LandRUIN, etc ... are nothing but TOTAL LIARS and deserve to be SHOT TO DEATH ! A true moderate would actually put moderation and not caving in first !
Interesting that this article should appear on Working Assets, which today sold out and is now pushing political cover for the DLC to extend the slaughter yet again. The Webb amendment gives GIs a few extra months rest before their limbs are blown off but more importantly it allows the war profiteers to keep doing what they do best and it allows the DLC to pretend it cares about our young men and women in uniform. Shame on you Working Assets!
working assets has been working to end the war since before it even began.
we put up "support our troops, bring them home now" billboards even before the war began when our service members were staged in the gulf region prior to the invasion.
we've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for anti-war groups from code pink to physicians for social responsibility.
we've printed and distributed tens of thousands of protest signs. we've marched and we've organized our own protests.
we've generated hundreds of thousands of emails, calls and letters on a range of legislation aimed at ending the war.
we've helped get hundreds of thousands of high schools students removed from the lists that schools hand over to local military recruiters as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.
we've offered our members in key congressional districts free anti-war lawn signs.
we run rapid response text message alert campaigns where our members birddog pro-war members of congress when they are in their home district.
we continue to call for withdrawal. we continue to call for defunding the war. we called for rumsfeld's resignation. we are still calling for (and hopeful of) impeachment of dick cheney.
and i personally have been arrested for taking to the streets to protest the war.
and this is just a partial list of our anti-war work.
there are several amendments to the defense authorization bill that we think will help end the war. the webb amendment had a chance to pass. we supported it. if it had passed there would be fewer soldiers to deploy and bush would be forced to scale back. it's not withdrawal but it's a step.
we also will be supporting amendments - maybe even as early as the end of this week - that require a timetable with teeth for a fully funded withdrawal from iraq.
working assets members have taken countless actions - big and small - to end this war. we're proud of our record and continue to fight. i hope you'll join us.
becky bond
political director
working assets
Mike5000,
We all fucking want our troops to be brought home but at least give them another venue because right now our motherfucking government will NEVER EVER bring our troops home. Yes, Webb is a DISGRACE for allowing NSA to FUCKING eavesdrop America but give the troops time to rest and they'll have the energy to stand up for themselves rather than wearing them out.
GrantBurke is right, the gov't will not bring the troops home, both Hillary and Obama want to keep a residual troop presence(approx 75 -100K) in Iraq indefinitely.
If either is elected president all you will see is a continuation of the war in Iraq. Of course Hillary or Obama will make excuses why we need to be there just like Bush.
And you know what? the Democrats will have no to blame but themselves for this. Because they have refused to get rid of the pro-war Democrats like Hillary. Democrats like her don't even bother to hide their pro-war plans and yet Democrats are worshipping her and Obama like Gods come to save them.
Both parties and their followers need to be put down for the brainless beasts they've become.
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