Keith Olbermann from tonight's Special Comment:
"Those who seek the Democratic nomination need to—for their own political futures and, with a thousand times more solemnity and importance, for the individual futures of our troops—denounce this betrayal, vote against it, and, if need be, unseat Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi if they continue down this path of guilty, fatal acquiescence to the tragically misguided will of a monomaniacal president."
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I have been advocating this for some time, mostly to the mild amusement of people that never took it seriously. I have always been serious and now Keith Olbermann has joined the call, sort of.
Keith's Special Comment is getting it's usual share of accolades, but it no more special than a hundred comments I've read throughout the day by people just as outraged and just as articulate. The sense of betrayal that is permeating the long-suffering Democratic base may finally be enough to shake the weak and the backsliders from the party treetops.
This is a gathering storm that has been gaining intensity for years. The outrage righteously expressed by so many here (and throughout the country) is exacerbated by the fact that "our" Dems have NEVER had more support to do the right thing. If we can't get these losers to confront one of the weakest White House residents ever; if we can't get them to serve the easily discernible interests of the people; if we can't get them to end support for the worst foreign policy mistake in our nation's history...
...What Fucking Good Are They?
I'm sick and tired of party leaders that would rather capitulate than lead. And I'm through making excuses for losers and cowards. I don't want to characterize the past few years as being a series of nothing but failure, but the sad truth is that when it really counted, failure was almost always the result.
So while we are all worked up about the loss of the values and direction that our party should represent; while we are ready to discuss impeachment for those in the administration that bring shame to our nation; let's do some house cleaning of our own.
Russ Feingold has been a stand-out as a leader that has not waited for the winds to blow his way. He has courageously battled for the ideals that the party espouses, even when he had little support from his colleagues. He is the man who alone voted against the Patriot Act. He introduced a Senate motion to censure the President. He was the first senator to call for a timetable to end the war in Iraq. He conforms so much more closely with Democrats around this country than anyone else in the senate. So I just have to ask:
Why isn't Russ Feingold the Majority Leader?
Now please don't tell me about protocol and seniority. Those are traditions that set guidelines for parlimentary operations. They are not written in stone. And with Americans and others dying in such huge numbers, the stakes are sufficiently high to bend a few rules.
I am not a congressional scholar and I do not know the procedures for accomplishing this proposal. But I believe it is desperately necessary and I would sure like to see this community, and the broader community of Democrats across the country, strive toward this end. So much is riding on what we do now. We cannot leave it to those who are presently ignoring our rightful demands to govern this nation of, by, and for the people.