The entire current 2008 field of Democrats represents the past. We need the likes of Wes Clark, Joe Sestak, and Jim Webb to be the future.
Democrats seem to think that because Bush is in so much trouble over Iraq that we can go back to the way things used to be. They think we can go back to 1976 and fall back on the same old Democratic talking points that we always did. And it may work for 2008. But where will we be in 2016? Where will we be the next time there's terrorist activity at home? Where will we be with Iran? I'll tell you where we'll be. We'll be exactly where we were in 2002 when the two breeds of "old fashioned Democrats" let us down. We had the breed that is against all war, who nobody listened to because they were afraid. And we had the breed--the Hillary Clintons, Joe Bidens, and John Edwards's, who voted FOR the war so they could ACT tough.
Obama represents "hope." Hope for what? Hope that we can go back to Democratic politics as usual. That hope is bogus. It's unrealistic and will get us no where except right back where we are now. And Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Joe Biden are nothing but weak "act tough" Democrats who would rather send our soldiers off to die than demonstrate their "weakness" in foreign policy.
What we really need is Democrats who ARE tough, so they don't have to ACT like it. We need Democrats who are strong enough on their own merits that they don't need to cave in to national hysteria in order to not be painted as weak. We need Democrats who understand that the world really is flat now. Foreign policy and domestic policy are no longer separate issues. It all fits together. And we need the future of the Democratic Party to understand that, embrace that, and WIN elections with that, rather than fighting against it.
We need Democrats who recognize that sometimes war is required, but that it's always a last, last, last resort. We need leadership that knows that a strong military is necessary but not sufficient to win a war. We need Democrats who are strong enough on their own merits that they don't need to use our troops to make them look strong.
It's tempting to assume that because we were right about Iraq, that we can go back to old-fashioned Democratic politics. It would be nice to go back to the past. But we can't. And if Democrats don't wise up and put up someone who represents the next generation--and I don't mean by age--then Democrats won't HAVE a next generation. If Democrats don't put up a candidate who knows how to function in the flat-world future, 10 years from now, we'll be right back where we are today, only worse.
We are desperately in need of serious, strong leadership. I'm waiting for Wes Clark, Joe Sestak, and Jim Webb to lead us out of this mess.