Jeff Emanuel’s excellent article about Representative Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) confirms what I’ve written for several months now: that the Democrats were dishonest about their intentions – and ability – to put an end to the Iraq war. Jeff says that Kanjorski has an "honesty problem" – too much of a good thing! I wish there were a couple hundred more like him in Congress.
Kanjorski:
"I’ll tell you my impression. We really in this last election, when I say we…the Democrats, I think pushed it as far as we can to the end of the fleet, didn’t say it, but we implied it. That if we won the Congressional elections, we could stop the war. Now anybody was a good student of Government would know that wasn’t true. But you know, the temptation to want to win back the Congress, we sort of stretched the facts…and people ate it up."
Emmanuel:
The impression the Democratic Congress gave during those minor-at-best wars over the continuation of the War was that it was simply incompetent. Reps. Pelosi, Hoyer, et al wanted to end the war as soon as possible — at least, that’s what they kept saying. Unfortunately for those who largely elected them on that basis, the best and brightest Democrats in elective office were simply unable to figure out any way to outsmart and outmaneuver the buffoon in the White House on the issues of wartime budget and policy, instead (inadvertently, I’m sure) ending every fight on the wrong side from their point of view, having yet again given the President every single thing he was asking for.
…
Now the mask slips — and with it comes an admitted level of condescension directed by those Congressional Democrats at those who were gullible enough to support them for something that they themselves knew could not be done.
That’s it all right. By all rights they should be un-elected in just as abrupt a manner as they were thrust back into power. Plainly they were ill-prepared to deal with the circumstances in which they found themselves floundering.
Fundamentally the issue is one of responsibility. Leading means taking it on and doing what must be done, regardless of political expediency. To their credit, Democrats have done relatively little to damage the war effort, though many have tried. Succeeding would have been the height of irresponsibility. Small wonder Pelosi and Reid always seemed to find a way to fail at the last. Now we know why, thanks to Rep. Kanjorski.