The Un-loyal Opposition

Today begins a new week and we will once more see how the Democrats and the Republicans work together in Congress.  That the country faces huge problems certainly can not be denied.  That these problems arose on the Republican watch is also undeniable.  You would never, however, know that from the tone and substance of the debate that is taking place over President Obama’s proposed stimulus package, the closing of Guantanamo detention facility, and the exit from Iraq.

• Stimulus Package.  Republicans claim the package is simply too big.  Since it is debatable that it may not be big enough, I would grant the argument that “it is too big” is a fair argument.  The Republicans, however, want to shrink everything but the tax cuts as a way to make the package smaller.  What are they thinking?  The national budget President Obama is inheriting is already $1.2 trillion in the red and the Republicans want more tax cuts.  Spending goes away but tax cuts linger and become obscene political propaganda  when a responsible government raises taxes to cover its cost.
• Guantanamo.  President Obama’s announcement that he would close Guantanamo within a year has drawn some of the best “two faced” political rhetoric.  “I would not announce closure until I knew where I would put the prisoners”, or words to that effect have been the Republican’s anthem.  If you didn’t know it already, the Republican Party still does not understand that American values, laws, and history demand habeas corpus, due process, and strict compliance to the Geneva Convention.  After holding detainees for over 6 years without charges, does anyone think that suddenly there will be a reason that will come to light to justify a continuance of that policy?  It is a reasonable assumption that some of these detainees, when released, will return as soon as possible and join some extremists activity.  What would you do if you were held 6 years against your will?  If the evidence exists, try these men in US Courts.  Otherwise return them to whoever will take them.  And the next time we capture any of these men, be prepared with what charges apply.
• Iraq Exit.  It is now almost 7 years since the US initiated an unnecessary invasion and occupation.  American made a mess of things and has paid heavily to put the broken Iraq back together.  It is now time to turn the country back to the Iraqis and let them decide their future.  As painful as it may be should sectarian violence re-emerge, this is not our country and our presence only makes it worse.  There is still some time (since it will require at least 16 months to exit) for the US to switch emphasis to regional diplomatic initiatives.  Regional diplomacy can go a long way to easing the sectarian tensions that are bound to arise.

The Republicans are playing with fire with their current rhetoric.  They were soundly rejected by the electorate for many reasons, but fundamentally because too many things had gone wrong on their watch.  It is only a few months until the mid-terms elections in 2010 and if the Republicans are viewed as not contributing to the solution, they may end up with less that 40 Senate seats and lose their filibuster option, and then become truly irrelevant.