An Ironic Twist Of Fate

"In an ironic twist of fate this week, Iraq affected regime change in the US," said Amy Pohler to open Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update last night. When I heard those words, I had one of those "holy crap, she's right moments". It is perhaps one of the greatest ironies in politics today. President George Bush went into Iraq to bring down a government and in turn essentially brought down his own. Talk about being hoisted on your own petard.

Even the most liberal of Republicans were unceremoniously tossed from office as the mid-term elections became a referendum on the Iraq War and the performance of the President. US Senator Lincoln Chaffee, a Republican so liberal that voted against Bush's agenda approximately 90% of time, was tossed out on his keester. Republicans across the country were swept from office in a domino effect from the Federal level down to the state and local levels.

As a Democrat, I should be doing cartwheels right now. To a certain extent I am. This election essentially offers a check on the right wing agenda. Bush's reactionary judicial candidates no longer have a snow ball's chance in hell of getting confirmed. (However, the damage has already been on the Supreme Court. I'm just hoping that the last of the liberals and centrists can hang on until after the next election). Bolton will be out at the UN and Rumsfeld is history.

But, I'm also concerned. I know that the exit polls tell us that that the new Democratic majority is more a repudiation of Bush's policies as opposed to an affirmation of the Democratic agenda. The Democrats won without having a clear message and plan for moving forward. There is much at stake between now and the next presidential election in 2008. Up for discussion: a long overdue increase in the minimum wage, environmental protection, eroding civil liberties and increased governmental surveillance, health care issues, education, abortion rights, stem cell research, and of course how do we extricate ourselves from the growing quagmire in Iraq?

It's been quite some time since we Democrats had a standard bearer--a leader to motivate the masses and make us vote for something rather than against. The leadership vacuum within the Democratic Party worries me greatly. Nancy Pelosi is poised to become the first female Speaker of the House. But, she's has the potential to be polarizing and is the type of liberal that, unfortunately, doesn't play well in the more conservative heartland. There's Hillary Clinton, who people either love or hate (see Nancy Pelosi's problem). I'm one of the rare ones who can't decide if I like her or not. Barak Obama has generated a lot of attention lately, but, he's untested and I really don't know enough about where he stands on the issues. John Kerry would like another crack at the Presidency, but frankly he's the King of Foot in Mouth Disease lately and he ran a crappy campaign last time. (I voted against Bush rather than for Kerry). Also waiting in the wings are Evan Bayah (who I don't like) and VP candidate John Edwards (from whom I'd like to see more). I'm sure there are a few others, but frankly, the fact that I can't remember who they are should tell you just how much of an impression they've made on me.

We need a leader to step forward that has a vision--a plan. And I fear greatly we don't have it. We've got 2 years to set ourselves up for success in the 2008 election cycle. The Republicans 2 years to regroup. If we muck up this opportunity, the odds of retaking the White House are slim. As much as I'd like to sit back and enjoy watching Bush stymied for two years, we as a party need to give our nation more than 2 years of gridlock. We need a leader who can provide hope and light the way to a brighter future. The question is, "Do we have one?"