Democrats: We Suck Slightly Less Than Republicans

My identity as a Democrat really started to weaken when John Kerry was the best the DFL could do to take on George Bush in 2004. And when I read stories like this, I feel sick and a little panicked.

Is this the best we can do? Over 3,000 American soldiers are dead, and almost 27,000 are wounded. And over 67,000 Iraqi civilians are dead. Who knows how many are wounded.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Bush tells us to stay the course. His administration has no other ideas about what to do. That is frightening. But even worse, is that the Democrats have even less ideas. A "cover your ass" censure against Bush? An "all-nighter" policy session? That's it? That's all they can do? People are fucking dying. The region is unstable. And this is the best our two major parties can do.

We need a leader to emerge. Soon. I don't care what party he or she is from, but we need a leader to step up and say...

"Let's quit bashing Bush. Emotionally it is rewarding, but it does NOTHING to help us in Iraq. Forget about feeling good, and let's collectively think about doing the right thing. It's time to make sacrifices to honor the soliders who died and those who are still fighting. Here's what we need to do..."

Now can I finish that speech I just started? Do I have any ideas? Well I have one or two. I'd start with reducing our dependency on foreign oil. Pushing for a Palestinian state. Getting the rest of the world to see that a secure Iraq is in its best interest too, even if we were the dumabasses that broke Iraq in the first place.

These aren't perfect solutions, but at least they will get the dialogue going and as a nation maybe we can collectively come up with a solution. We can find a long-term solution in Iraq, built on sacrifice and diplomacy. And whatever that solution may be, it won't involve calling Bush the worst President ever or censuring him. No matter how good it feels to do that.

We need a leader. Until then, as citizens we need to come together. Get past our partisan tribes and figure out what needs to be done. I think we can do better than "immediate withdrawl" vs. "stay the course." There has to be a nuanced solution out there. And "Bush sucks" ain't one of them.