When the only thing our elected representatives can agree on is to silence war critics, the critics get louder.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Have you heard about the full page ad that MoveOn.org ran last week in the New York Times? Who hasn’t?
A clever, if not distasteful satire of General Petraeus’s name was probably expected to raise a few eyebrows and provoke thoughtful, conscientious political conversations, but has turned into a would-be national atrocity. For the first time in our lifetimes, a newspaper ad has Congress by the tail, but the message seems to get louder each time it’s repeated.
The headline was “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” Apparently it’s a crime to call a General a name. No matter if you agree or disagree with the ad. How did this piece of newsprint make it to the agenda in both the House and Senate?
Last week, US Senators actually delayed debate on the war in Iraq in order to condemn MoveOn.org's ad in the New York Times. This week, they were joined by the House.
A sensitive matter to say the least, the presentation of General Petraeus in the ad as a possible betrayer of the American people had to be expected to bring high criticism. But it's not unique in it's antagonistic tone. Even so, MoveOn has been taken to task. A question that keeps mounting is: who’s next in line?
The political action group is not showing any signs of flinching though, in fact, instead of intimidated, they seem emboldened. MoveOn has announced a new project, Americans for Exit, which they believe will prove to Congress that Americans from all walks of life are fed up with the Iraq war and are counting on them to stop it.
In the past week, Congress has voted down three separate proposals that were created to help support the troops, and lead to an end to the war. But Wednesday, the House did manage to join the Senate in condemning MoveOn for the recent ad.
The politic action team from MoveOn.org says they were appalled. They say Congress, "didn't condemn Vice President Cheney when he falsely connected Al Qaeda to Saddam Hussein. They didn't condemn Colin Powell when he lied about WMD to the United Nations. They didn't condemn President Bush when he started eavesdropping on American citizens without a warrant,” the group added.
“They still haven't done anything to change President Bush's war policy. But yesterday, the House voted to condemn a newspaper ad — and Congresswoman Darlene Hooley supported the measure.”
MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by its members. They have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. That, however, does not mean the group doesn’t have it’s preferences. And, 3.3 million members of MoveOn.org are standing firm on their convictions.
“We’re 70% of the country. We vote, and we’re fed up with the war,” says a release from the MoveOn.org Political Action Team. “Congress may not be doing its job, but that means it's all the more important for us to do ours.”
“This new project will remind our representatives that those of us against the war are America—we're teachers, factory workers, lawyers, moms, dads, students, secretaries, and dog owners. We need to make it crystal clear that we will not stand down or relent until the war ends.”
As part of the new project, members of the organization across the nation are sending in photographs and recording voice messages about ending the Iraq war that will be a part of a new ad campaign, and delivered to members of Congress.
In a recent Rochester NY Op-Ed, members of MoveOn.org say they spoke out to set the record straight. “Consistently and falsely portrayed by some media sources as 'far left,' we represent a broad cross-section of average Americans. We care deeply about the same issues most Americans do, and are proud to use the organizational power of MoveOn.org to carry out our responsibilities as citizens."
The group says this administration ignored pleas from the world community and invaded Iraq without moral or legal basis.
"The result has been devastation and quagmire in Iraq, an increase in global terrorist violence and a more dangerous world. We are dedicated to bringing our troops safely home and rebuilding the international alliances necessary to address the real terrorist threat. And as the media have amply reported, this is the view of the great majority of Americans.”
Arguably, opposition to the war is growing by anyone’s standards. MoveOn.org says Republicans are going all-out to marginalize and silence this vast group. Some would say that it causes more distance between the ideals. Without getting closer, we seem to get further from resolution and cooperation among our own people.
On Thursday, Senator Barbara Boxer said, “Even though we're still caught in the middle of a disastrous civil war in Iraq, the right-wing continues to block every effort by Democrats in the Senate to bring our brave troops home. They even blocked a common-sense amendment sponsored by my colleague and Vietnam veteran Jim Webb that would give American troops as much time to rest at home as they do fighting in Iraq."
“And just last week," Boxer continued, "Republican Senators delayed debate on the war in Iraq in order to single out and condemn MoveOn.org's ad in the New York Times. Where were the Republicans when the Swift Boaters attacked John Kerry's military service? Where were they when Democratic Senator Max Cleland -- a triple amputee after his service in Vietnam -- was attacked in TV ads comparing him to Osama bin Laden?“
This is not just a Republican issue however. With leading democrats like Oregon’s own Congresswoman Darlene Hooley voting to support the measure condemning MoveOn.org, we are compelled to step back and look at the bigger picture. Who has America’s best interests at heart?
There may be legitimate reasons that Congress did not approve the 3 proposals for changes regarding the war. But instead of providing steadfast tenacity to the health of our nation, they spent their valuable time chatting amongst themselves about the do’s and don’ts of the advertising business. Are useless resolutions the only thing Congress can agree on? As the leading democratic nation on the planet earth, we set an example. And this is the one we set this week.
The proposals Congress did not approve were: 1) Levin-Reed amendment to provide for a reduction and transition of United States forces in Iraq; 2) Webb-Hagel Amendment to specify minimum periods between deployment of units and members of the Armed Forces deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; 3) Feingold-Reid Amendment to safely redeploy troops.
Allowing our leaders and our citizenship to be distracted from the real issues, like gracefully getting ourselves out of the serious mess in Iraq, must not be permitted. Our priorities as a whole must be people.
Our country is experiencing something completely new to us. How we demonstrate our abilities to govern with surety and level-headedness will determine our future with all the world. Back-biting and name calling are not attributes to impress. Shallow discussions about newspaper ads when we are at war are embarrassing. This country is serious business, and it needs to be run by adults.
If it’s time to redesign the strategies, so be it, but it appears that we may need a completely new game board.
Congress Condemns MoveOn.org Ad As War Rages OnSalem-News.com