And They Put Their Foot in It

I've been waiting for the Democrats to make their first mistake, and this week my wait seems to be over.

As George W. Bush pushes his urge to "surge"--White House-speak for "escalation" (but a president who dodged the 'Nam might not get the reference)--the Dems have made no move to say "No". There are murmurs, but no comittment.

They needed to put the current president firmly in his own little deluded corner, sticking up for his pet war. They needed to make it clear whose private vendetta this was from the get-go, and point out that the "War president" chose to be one.

Moving to shut this "surge" thing down would be a start. That would force Republicans to stand up and be publicly counted supporting a war only 30% of Americans still think is a good idea.

If the GOP-ites vote with the POTUS, they alienate themselves from all but the rightest of the right. If they vote against him, he is shown up as the classic fantasist he is.

The surge won't work. It's 20,000 people or so. There are 135,000 already in-country. If there are (only) two "insurgents" for every US soldier (not "combat soldier"), then this "surge" will alter that ratio from 2 to 1 to 1.7 to 1. The hearts and minds of the Iraqi people are lost, too.

The US originally needed between 350,000 and 500,000 troops--essentially one for every street corner--to keep some sort of peace. I didn't pull that figure out of thin air--various generals stated the same long before April 2002. Now, due essentially to the total failure of the president to pay the slightest bit of attention to men who know the true costs of war, another 20,000 will be shoved into the meat grinder.

Either too many or not nearly enough.

But the Democrats seem either content to let him do it, or prepared to lie doggo while he does. Judging by the lack of noise.

And They Put Their Foot in It II

To complicate matters, the Dems have reintroduced stem cell research to the legislature--embryonic stem cell research. It's an issue which found surprise support among the Republican guard, most of whom are past it and feeling their mortality creeping up on them.

They can trumpet "pro-life" all they like, but when the spare livers and kidneys start rolling off the assembly line they'll be at the front of the queue--largely because in the US basic health is a commodity rather than a right.

But the Democrats choose this issue? Now? It's not really that controversial--everybody understands that stem cells are collected from what is in essence medical waste--four-cell embryos. Nobody honestly believes these things are alive even in the way that a six-month foetus is.

But they've launched this debate at the very moment when amniotic stem-cell research is showing powerful promise. Sure we shouldn't rush for the exits, embryonic stem cell research should be continued ...

But couldn't this wait? Couldn't the House and Senate concentrate on more important things? Like restoring the Geneva Conventions? Like reinstituting the Bill of Rights? Like cancelling the Paytriator Act?

Basically: Like bodychecking Dubya flat every time he tries to get up off the ice?