In his latest frontpage post, Kos calls Barack Obama a 'patsy' for suggesting that we need to reach out to Republicans to end this war. (Actually, he said that Obama will be a patsy if he doesn't accomplish 'the impossible.')
This, folks, is nuts.
And, the ultimate benchmark for nuttiness on Iraq is Dick Cheney.
So, let's check out what Dick Cheney is saying today about Iraq:
Cheney: We'll talk with Iran, but only about Iraq
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- The U.S. said Sunday it is willing to talk to Iran if discussions deal only with Iraq, where the Bush administration says Tehran is undermining the Baghdad government and sending deadly roadside bombs.
"We are willing to have that conversation limited to Iraq issues at the ambassador level," Vice President Dick Cheney's spokeswoman said after he met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Lea Anne McBride said the willingness to talk with the Iranians about security issues in Iraq is consistent with U.S. policy and does not reflect a new position.
Iran's state-run news agency reported Sunday that the U.S. sought meetings in Baghdad to discuss security in Iraq. Iran reportedly received the request through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which often acts as an intermediary for the U.S. in the country.
"Iran has agreed to this (negotiation) after consultation with Iraqi officials in order to lessen the pain of the Iraqi people, support the Iraqi government and establish security and peace in Iraq," the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Mohammad Ali Hosseini, the foreign ministry spokesman, as saying.
Okay, Cheney is being a Dick. But, here's the larger point:
Dick Cheney is open to negotiating with a member of the Axis of Evil about Iraq.
Folks, if Dick Cheney is willing to talk to the government of Iran, Democrats should be willing to talk to Republicans about Iraq.
Even moreso.
Because, we live in a democracy. And, in that democracy, our party controls no more than 50 votes in the Senate. The funding supplemental with timelines WOULD HAVE FAILED without some Republican support.
Republicans control the Supreme Court. Republicans control the Executive--the branch of government with authority to order troop movements.
Republicans and Joe Lieberman can vote down any measure in the Senate if they vote as a bloc on Iraq. Things aren't that much better in the House, where our margin of majority is smaller than the Blue Dog Caucus.
So, in order to implement ANY measure that brings us closer to withdrawal from Iraq, we're going to need to reach out to and work with Republicans.
That is reality.
So, this talk about "compromise is concession" and "caving" can make a person feel good about their purity and bona fides as a red-blooded Democrat, but it ain't gonna bring a single US soldier home from Iraq.
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