Democratic Sleepwalking in Washington

Now that the month of decision about Iraq has come and gone in a Petraeus-MoveOn cloud of dust, the United States government starts October in a worse stupor than ever.

Democrats who took over Congress in a fever to stop the old war and expose Bush-Cheney lawlessness have just opened the door to a new war and, after months of bloviating about Administration scandals, have only the sorry scalp of Alberto Gonzales to show for their efforts.

The Presidential front runners are still wagging fingers at George Bush without promising to be out of Iraq by 2013 while the frontmost runner of all, the new, improved Hillary Clinton of 2007, casts a vote for Kyl/Lieberman aggression against Iran that looks very much like the one for invading Iraq in 2002.

Only a party elder and a Senate newcomer are awake enough to sound an alarm. As Mario Cuomo reminds Congress of its Constitutional power and responsibility, freshman Senator Jim Webb speaks up about last week’s move against Iran:

“This proposal is Dick Cheney’s fondest pipe dream. It’s not a prescription for success. At best, it’s a deliberate attempt to divert attention from a failed diplomatic policy. At worst, it could be read as a back door method of gaining Congressional validation for action without one hearing or without serious debate.”

Whatever Bush and Cheney have put into the Washington water supply, it has most Democrats pushing the snooze button on their 2008 alarm clocks. They may wake up with the worst political hangover ever.

Word War Won: Webb KOs Graham

In less than 20 minutes today on “Meet the Press,” the debate over Iraq came into clear focus.

Freshman Democratic Sen. Jim Webb cut through the Republican fog of obfuscation and called Iraq by its proper name--not a war but a “botched occupation.”

As Sen. Lindsey Graham, parroting the Bush line about fighting terrorism, kept ducking behind Gen. Patraeus, Webb pointed out that the occupation brought Al Qaeda to Iraq, that the Iraqis are telling us to get out and our troops have lost faith in the operation and want to come home.

Pitting pitiful Graham against Webb was a mismatch. The South Carolina Senator, whose military experience consists of doing legal paperwork, was up against a Vietnam veteran with the Navy Cross, whose family has served the country since the American Revolution and who has helped run the Defense Department.

If patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels, Webb was having none of Graham’s and the session led to verbal fisticuffs that, on the scorecard of a not-impartial judge, ended with a KO by Webb.

It was encouraging to watch the senator from Virginia have Graham for breakfast. Hillary Clinton backers have been touting him as a running mate, and it’s easy to see why.