Local Politics, National Politics
Gordon Smith is Oregon's Republican senator. Last night he gave a speech on the floor of the Senate that expressed his anguish over how Iraq has turned out (He voted for the war). He suggested that Bush's stay the course policy "may even be criminal" and that we need to act now, even if it is cutting and running. This is important. I said yesterday that more and more politicians (particularly Democrats who voted for the war) would start to line up on the side of ending our involvement in Iraq the closer to 2008 we get. I also expected Republicans to do the same, if they're smart. Those left over will alone carry the mantle of "conservatism" and lose badly in 2008 if they carry the Republican nomination. But we must consider Sen. Smith's motivations as well. He is up for reelection in 2008 in a state where it was not a good year to be a Republican. And I think being a Republican will still be a liability in 2008. But is Smith denouncing the war now that he has seen the shifting of political winds and knows he could be on the chopping block himself in two years? To the point, is it the only reason? That's what Kos seems to think. He knows that Smith's seat is a great pickup opportunity for Democrats in 2008. And about that, he is likely right. But to say that Sen. Smith's words are empty, that he gave a speech CNN called "emotional" just to distinguish himself from other Republicans...well, I don't buy it. Of course it is part of his motivation. But it is not the only motivation. Kos appears to be susceptible to David Mayhew's old theory of politicians: their sole motivation is reelection. And I simply think it is more complex than that. Either way, it is good for Democrats and good for America and, most important, good for US soldiers in Iraq that this disaster is being discussed frankly after many years of illusion.