You know it's bad when the NYT has to prod Democrats to do the right thing

[n2doc]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/opinion/22fri1.html

Editorial
A Bad Bargain

Published: September 22, 2006
Here is a way to measure how seriously President Bush was willing to compromise on the military tribunals bill: Less than an hour after an agreement was announced yesterday with three leading Republican senators, the White House was already laying a path to wiggle out of its one real concession.


snip:
Even before the compromises began to emerge, the overall bill prepared by the three senators had fatal flaws. It allows the president to declare any foreigner, anywhere, an “illegal enemy combatant” using a dangerously broad definition, and detain him without any trial. It not only fails to deal with the fact that many of the Guantánamo detainees are not terrorists and will never be charged, but it also chokes off any judicial review.

The Democrats have largely stood silent and allowed the trio of Republicans to do the lifting. It’s time for them to either try to fix this bill or delay it until after the election. The American people expect their leaders to clean up this mess without endangering U.S. troops, eviscerating American standards of justice, or further harming the nation’s severely damaged reputation.

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Where the F**k is our leadership? How has it come to this, where people whose whole job is about leadership sit on their fat a$$es and DO NOTHING? I swear they really, really want to lose the next election.

[bryant69]

1. I don't know

Politicians are politiciains and you can't expect them not to be - the struggle between the White House and McCain was good theatre, and had the potential of hurting the Republicans best chance to hold onto the White House in 2008 (assuming they don't declare Bush President for life, and you believe it matters who they run). So they stood back and hoped that McCain and Bush would end up boodying each other.

Not the best strategy, I'd agree. But understandable.

Hopefully now they can figure out that by castigating McCain as willing to compromise on Terror, they can bloody him a bit themselves.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[n2doc]

6. Leadership isn't always about strategy

I don't know why they don't get it. The Democratic party has been hit again and again on "having no ideas, not standing for anything" I know some of this is RW crap, but here is an opportunity to stand up and say, "we will not compromise. Americans do not Torture. We will not stand for this". F**k the wingnuts, fundies and neocons. They are not America. The Republican party, long ago, was formed in large part because of people who took a similar stand for Abolition. Now the Democratic party is faced with a similar choice. I have to believe there are a majority of Americans who are decent and believe in maintaining a civilized society. If these folks can't get that from either party, we may see a repeat of the 1850's and a new party. I don't want that-I want to see these highly paid, famous people stand up and be counted when we need them the most.

Sometimes the best strategy is to just lead, regardless of the naysayers.

[katinmn]

2. The fog is lifting. Rich Dems in office don't care about right and wrong.

They care about

$

and re-election.

And in my state and I suspect most states, the same rich Dems and rich corrupt Pukes in Washington chose the majority of federal candidates for us. Our choice is between Repuke and Repuke-light. No one to stand up and change course.

[acmejack]

4. When we choose our own they come in and replace them.

Ask Christine Cegalis!

[MadHound]

3. Yes, it's bad, and it's going to get worse

I hardly expect the Dems to grow a spine on this issue, when they've let so much else slide on by. In fact I wouldn't be suprised at all to see a majority of Dems actually voting for this insanity.

If we want our country back folks, it's going to be up to us. October 5, time to take to the streets.

[Buzz Clik]

5. The problem, of course, is that this is a staged confrontation.

The White House purposely brought this in at this time to create conflict. The "uniter" strategy always has been to create strife within Congress to help clearly expose the differences between the GOP and the Democrats. Quietly destroying this bill -- behind the scenes and through Congressional protocol -- will be far more effective than getting in front of the cameras with angry red faces.

[n2doc]

8. maybe not

Many of us at DU get a chuckle out of the image of Democratic leaders not having a "spine". But it is a deadly image. Quietly killing something this horrendous, while a laudable goal, doesn't get the message out to John Q Public. Why should they vote Dem when they see no differences or see a party that doesn't do "anything"? I just can't believe, won't believe, that torture can be "spun" into a good thing. That can only happen when there is nobody to shout back "hell no it isn't"

If the Democratic party "wins" this November by sitting quietly by and letting the Elephant have it's way with them, why would anyone think that they would change their ways once they were in power?

[DianeG5385]

7. Our leadership is unispiring

I heard a comment on the radio yesterday on this subject, to the effect that the Dem leadership is still acting like a majority party even though they've been out of power for 12 years. I agree and feel they need to start acting like the VOCAL minority to get heard. Also, we just have this HUGE problem articulating our message, at least with the current Dems in charge.

It's infuriating to watch the Repub torture debate without a Dem voice heard, and then hear Dem voices raised loudly int he Chavez thing (my opinion is Chavez hurt himself). I worry this sluggish campaign will not inspire a large turnout and while I am kind of tired of blaming Rove for all of our problems, I see their latest strategy is to accuse the Dem party of being racist and against civil rights. This is just another slime and while any student of history understands that these "dixicrats "are now the Repub leadership, it could slough off enough votes to keep us from gaining a majority.

We just seem so passive in the face of these tactics