Fighting each other, or the war

OK. It’s official. the Democratic squabbling over Iraq begins, as the party’s more cautious wing and its antiwar wing are fighting over whether Iraq-War critic John Murtha will be the party’s majority leader in the newly Democratic House of Representatives.

The cautious wing of the party — critical of the president and his approach on the battlefield, but unwilling to call for a full pullout — is hopings its candidate, Steny Hoyer, will move from deputy minority leader to majority leader, the number two slot in the House.

But the cautious ones need to revisit last week’s electoral sweep, one that was essentially a referendum on the war. Democrats won because the public wants it to end. John Murtha is the most vocal critic of the war and it is imperative that this Marine Corps veteran be the party’s antiwar face in the new Congress.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet