This isn't a long diary entry because it's really a simple point I'd like to make.
The democrats were suckered. They thought the wingnuts were interested in genuine bipartisanship after 9/11 and they chose to unite with the right and give George Bush the power to negotiate in the middle east with the full strength of the military behind him. This was not a wise choice even at the time, and many of us railed against it. But it is somewhat understandable given the national mood and the trauma of 9/11.
But what happened after that vote, the rush to war, the lack of planning and the total fraud of WMD justifications, have rendered that vote irrelevant.
Yet democrats fear to speak out against it. John Kerry didn't say boo to Bush in the debates about his failures.
So what have we seen politically for those willing to speak out?
Howard Dean trashes the war on its merits, its fundamental wrongness, its immorality and its lies, and goes from an unknown to a national leader.
Paul Hackett eloquently and clearly offers the case for why this war was a fundamental mistake and nearly wins a congressional seat.
This is what we're all waiting for: Major democrats to stand up and very simply say:
"I voted for the war in Iraq. I was wrong. I made a mistake. This country made a mistake. This war was a mistake and we should all be ashamed for following this president into this folly. We must make amends for this mistake starting today. The good of capturing Saddam Hussein has not justified the thousands of dead and chaos we have unleashed in that country due to poor management and a lack of planning. We must apologize to the world. And we must withdraw our troops now."
Americans love the truth. Americans love people who fight for the truth. The fact this was was a mistake is a truth everyone knows. The political gain for saying so will far outweigh any reprocussions for having supported this mistake in 2003.
It is up to democrats to do so. We are all wishing so deeply in their hearts that they will.