Kucinich Tells Off Dean

You'd think that with the incredible mess Bush has created in Iraq that Democrats would all be calling for immediate withdrawal of US forces. And they would, if they were indeed an opposition party. Unfortunately, their "leadership," which now includes one-time supposedly anti-war candidate Howard Dean, won't call for withdrawal. But Dennis Kucinich is, and he tells off the Doctor in an open letter:

We can draw no clearer distinction with the President than over this war. He cannot right a wrong (unjustified war) by perpetuating a military occupation. Military victory there is not possible. General Tommy Franks concedes that. The war will end when we say it's over. The Democratic leadership should be pressing for quick withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.

That's what most Democrats want, too. Your performance in the early stages of the primary, and your recent chairmanship of the party, were made possible by many, many progressive and liberal Democrats. It was their hope and expectation that you would prevent the party from repeating its past drift to the Republican-lite center. They hoped that this time the party would not abandon them or its core beliefs again.

Yet you say that you hope the President succeeds. With no pressure exerted from the leadership of the Democratic Party, the past threatens to repeat itself in 2006. We may not leave Iraq or our minority status in Washington for a long time to come.