The Scooter Libby trial and verdict confirmed what most of us already knew - instead of focusing on a strategy to win the war in Iraq, the Bush administration was busy focusing on a strategy to discredit their critics.
Yesterday, as the news broke, Governor Dean did several interviews on TV and radio where he discussed the verdict, its implications and the parallels to another developing story, that of the firing of U.S. Attorneys without cause. Then, this morning, the Governor recorded a video message that I wanted to make sure you had a chance to watch.
Click here to watch the video!
Click here to watch the video!
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I wasn't quite sure what to expect after Election Day 2006. Before coming to the work with the DNC I had always been a campaign gal, and after Election Day you slept in, recovered and then you tried to find another job. Going back to the office in the days after Democrats won such a clear victory was a change from what I am used to.
What I have found in the past three months is that things in March are not so different from how they were in October. All of us working with Governor Dean understand that we have a long hard road ahead of us if we want to win back the White House in 2008 and every day we are working towards that goal.
Republicans can not be trusted with the things that matter most to us - our rights, our security, our health, our children, our environment - all of these things Republicans have endangered with policies that cater to their corporate pals and special interests instead of to the interests of the American people.
We understand that every day we must be working to organize in all 50-States all year-round. We understand that we can not let a day go by when we don't put the pressure on the GOP to do the right thing. We understand that we must work in 2007 to win in 2008.
And honestly, every day when I sift through the news, I am struck by the incredible incompetence of this Administration and the horrors that they have wrought. Most obviously the war in Iraq weighs heavy on my mind. Too many of our brave men and women have sacrificed their lives for a war that was based on lies, poorly planned and for which the Administration is bent on escalating. Then came the news that the soldiers who do make it back are being left behind by a system that doesn't provide them with the care they need. The stories that have come out of Walter Reed are a betrayal of the men and women of whom we have asked so much.
Moving past the war and our veterans, if there is room for more outrage, we see hard working United States Attorneys being fired without cause, but for what appears to be sheer political gain. These are men and women who have done years of work to protect the American people, who have been discarded, pushed aside, to make room for political cronies.
And speaking of political cronies, the Administration still must answer for Michael Brown, FEMA and lack of response to Hurricane Katrina, one of the blackest marks on this Administration's record - whose failure in this instance shocked and appalled us all - and still not delivered to the people of the Gulf Coast.
These are just a few examples, I haven't even touched on so many issues - but I know you all understand what it is we are up against, because as part of this online community, you too are outraged every day.
If you watched the Governor's message all the way through, you will hear his closing statement, "This country will have a new Democratic President soon enough."
We've got 684 days left in the Bush Presidency. In that time we have a lot of to do and that is why after Election Day, we all went right back to work. There is too much at stake to pause for more than a moment.
Full Disclosure: Tracy Joan is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Democratic National Committee and a true believer in the 50-State Strategy!