Gen. Gard set to confront Rep. Brian Baird on Iraq

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/9997

Gen. Gard set to confront Rep. Brian Baird on Iraq
by Travis Sharp | Sep 19 2007



snip//

Since the Petraeus report didn't usher in any sort of epoch-shattering bipartisan consensus on what to do now in Iraq, the political fight continues at the center, where it has always really been. Opponents of the war must move the chains, as I argued in FPIF back in March:

While speaking out against Democratic foot dragging on Iraq is necessary in order to maintain the sense of urgency, incrementalism is the modus operandi of American foreign policy and anti-war activists must remain unified and encourage moderate Republicans—especially Senators—to join the anti-war camp and press for the return of U.S. troops as soon as possible. Success does not require ideological purity, but it does require that war opponents of all stripes ditch the internecine turf battles and try not to make it obvious that we are not yet comfortable being in the majority.

How do we do that, you ask? Well, our Outreach trip to Republican Rep. Walter Jones's district in North Carolina a few weeks back is a good model for success.

Building on that effort, Tom Andrews of Win Without War has prepared a great trip to Washington state this week with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation's Senior Military Fellow, Lt. Gen. Robert Gard (USA, ret. Gard is traveling to Washington for the explicit purpose of speaking out against Democratic Rep. Brian Baird, who flip-flopped on Iraq after returning from a trip there in August. "I believe giving it more time is worth the risk," Baird, D-Vancouver, said at the time. "We need to sustain the investment, at least for a while, in the belief things are getting better."

Read announcements about Andrews and Gen. Gard's trip at the Portland Independent Media Center and Democracy for Vancouver. Win Without War has the local fliers available here. WWW also took out a full-page ad in the local Vancouver newspaper which is set to run tomorrow. A small view of the ad is embedded in this post. A video of Andrews and Gard discussing the trip is below.

There is only one way to change our elected representatives' minds - convince their constituents that the war in Iraq is severely undermining U.S. national security interests and breaking the back of our armed forces. The fight over Iraq has been a drain on everyone involved, but the only thing left to do now is grind it out. Three-star General Gard isn't capitulating to the White House's "just give us another 6 months" policy drift, and we shouldn't settle either, no matter how frustrating the fight can and will be.

[hang a left]

1. Well sister...

I don't think that they give a flying you know what about what their constituents think.

Did you read the comments re: Hoyer yesterday?

[babylonsister]

2. This?

Yes, I read it, and am disgusted with the attitude considering he supposedly works for us.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1834522

[atreides1]

3. None of them work for us after the elections

The only time they "work" for their constituents is during the election cycle when they come hat in hand asking for another chance to "represent us" in Washington, and telling us how they'll work for change!

And as soon as election night is over and they've won they revert to what they were prior to them asking for that second chance.

Now I will admit that this description doesn't apply to all of them, but it does to those like Hoyer!

[babylonsister]

4. I have to believe they're feeling our 'disappointment' in their collective

pocketbooks. I refuse to donate anything with attitudes like this. MoveOn deserves it more than they do.