In her first day in Congress, Nancy Boyda seems to have pissed off a good chunk of the blogosphere with her comments that she would vote to support a surge in troops if there was a clear mission and that she would not vote to cut funding for the war.
There has been a lot of railing against Nancy as a sell-out, as Republican-lite, and of course, the predictable "What's the matter with Kansas?" line.
As a long-time reader and member of the DailyKos community and someone who knows Nancy, I thought I'd add some context to her quotes, in hopes that people will stop and think a little bit before castigating her too severely. I've posted some of these thoughts elsewhere. Note: I'm not in communication with her now, so I know nothing about her current thinking. This is just my conjecture.
First, know that Nancy organized anti-war protests in Kansas City before her first campaign in '04. That should tell you a little about Nancy's personal philosophy.
Second, understand that Nancy's district includes Fort Leavenworth, a major military base. To stay elected in this district, she has to be supportive of the military. This is why she asked for and was appointed to the Armed Services Committee. KS-02 was a darkhorse pick-up for us and will certainly be a Republican targeted seat in the next cycle.
Third, keep in mind that Bush has, in a very unsubtle manner, threatened to tar the Democrats in Congress with the consequences of his mistakes in Iraq.
Put the pieces together, and I read Nancy's comments as the Democrats in Congress saying that they will not accept the blame for Bush's failure in Iraq. I think Nancy is taking a position that she has been counseled to take by Democratic leadership. While her last comment about people thinking about the consequences before electing Bush twice was not artful, it is truthful.
At the end of the day, consitutionally, the only one who can bring the troops home is the Commander in Chief. Sure, Congress can make his life miserable until he does so, but is cutting funding for the war really a good idea?
Do we really want to be responsible for cutting off funding for body armor for the troops, for example?
Nancy is not a bitch. She's not stupid, and she's not a liar. She's a smart, capable politician who is going to be a good representative for her district. She's liberal in some, but not all respects.
BTW, enough with the Kansas jokes, please. Even though I live here and have to deal with the crazies all the time, the situation is a lot more nuanced than you might think. We have a Democratic governor and half of our Congresspeople are now Democrats. We've also regained control of the state board of education and the Attorney General's office from the conservatives. There is progress in Kansas.
Updated: Although I searched prior to posting, I searched stories, not diaries, so I missed CliffRadz's diary on this topic. Sorry. I am a frequent reader, but an infrequent diarist. I need to hone my dKos searching skills.