I've been having an argument with numerous friends about the present efforts in the House to bring up a bill on Iraq. Most of my friends look at the present efforts and write off the entire Democratic party as unwilling to step up and stop the war. And they see the entire party, every one of us, as deciding to let Bush continue to run things.
I wonder what they would have said if the knew Thomas Edison when he was trying to invent the electric light bulb. Probably would have labeled him a failure and told him to give up after his first couple of hundred attempts...
Yes I would like to see the Congress step up today and start getting us out of the mess there. But democracy is not that easy.
Lets assume for a moment that control was passed to a large group of us liberals. We each get one vote and whatever the majority passes out, that is what we will do. Piece of cake then huh? I doubt it.
We would eventually, finally, after great effort, get something out. And everyone would be unhappy with it as it would require compromise on everyone's part - significant compromise on very important issues where lives truly are at stake.
In the House we have a group with a wider political view. Yet we expect them to pass something instantly. And it better be something we approve of. And do it just 2 months after taking control of the House. Where they have a very narrow margin of victory.
Add to that, I don't think anyone knows for sure what the best answer on Iraq is. We all have opinions. A lot of us hold those opinions very strongly. But we don't know what is best. We don't even know what will work.
And all of our options are bad choices. What we are left doing is trying to find the least bad solution. If I was in the House I would be agonizing over this. What I think would be best, and then looking at what was possible in the compromise required of legislation, and in that what to do. This is incredibly hard work. Virtually impossible. And they have to do so in an environment of vicious partisianship from the Republicans. We have to be responsible while they just look for advantage.
So like Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, and others, the House Democratic members are trying different approaches. And the first efforts will not be as good as later ones because they will learn along the way.
But they are making progress. We're all making progress. Politics is messy and negotiation takes time. But for the first time since the war started, we're looking for the best action to take moving forward.
So yes keep pushing for results. Keep pushing for a better solution. But also appreciate what has been accomplished so far. And keep in mind that this takes time.
