INDECENCIES OF THE DECENT LEFT:

The Kerry Critique on Iraq (New Democrats Online, 9/21/04)

Yesterday John Kerry delivered a powerful and comprehensive critique of the Bush administration's stewardship of our national security, encompassing its ongoing failures in Iraq and Afghanistan; its refusal to level with the American people; its elevation of tough and resolute rhetoric over tough and resolute action; its deliberate alienation of potential allies; and its indifference to such dire threats as the proliferation of nuclear materials.

Brushing aside the advice of some Democrats that he draw attention away from the national security issues that are at the heart of the president's case for re-election, Kerry directly challenged the incumbent's erratic record and his manifest unwillingness to admit, much less learn from, his mistakes. He also directly rebutted GOP efforts to tie him to "weak on defense" stereotypes of the Democrats of the past. [...]

Now that Kerry has usefully refocused the debate on the administration's record of incompetence in Iraq and elsewhere, there are three important points he should keep in mind given the torrent of abuse he's already receiving from Republicans on this subject.

First, he should remember that the case for invading Iraq did not necessarily rise or fall based on the administration's exaggeration of the evidence of WMDs, or its deliberate misstatements about Saddam's links to al Qaeda or to 9/11. Like many "Blair Democrats," we placed equal if not greater emphasis on Saddam's serial defiance of international law and the agreement to end the Persian Gulf War; his record as both a practitioner and supporter of terrorism generally; and his systemic violation of the human rights of his own people. In any event, this is hardly the time for retroactive debates on the decision to go to war in Iraq. That's now behind us, while the challenge of winning the peace should be front and center.

Second, while Kerry rightly blasts the administration for stubborn unilateralism, our allies and international institutions should not be let off the hook for their own obstruction of a truly global effort to fight terrorism and chaos. They need to be challenged, not simply asked, to do more to meet the common security threats that face us all, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

And third, in accurately portraying the mess in Iraq, we urge Kerry and other Democrats to make it clear that unlike Bush administration, they are determined to win the battle for a stable Iraq, not continue a failed course that is prompting people in both parties to call for a rush to the exits.

The New Democrats are despised within their own party that they have to carry some considerable water for their candidate or be branded race traitors, but it's a shame to see them reduce themselves to endorsing the Senator's neo-isolationism. Their palpable discomfort at the Senator's departure from the doctrine of humanitarian intervention that Tony Blair and Bill Clinton pioneered unilaterally in the 90s suggests that they know they're selling their souls--and cheap at that. It's a terrible thing to hate your opponent--George Bush in this case--more than you value your own principles.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 21, 2004 4:57 PM