From my friend Ian Thompson writing in Socialism and Liberation magazine.
The anti-war movement and Congressional ‘opposition.’
Nearly three years after launching the war on Iraq, the Bush administration has a crisis on its hands. The war has proven to be unwinnable militarily. Bush’s goal of setting up a stable client Iraqi regime remains a distant fantasy.
The Iraqi resistance to foreign occupation grows stronger every day. It enjoys broad support among the country’s population.
Inside the United States, most polls show that a majority opposes the war. Massive anti-war demonstrations in recent months, combined with daily casualty reports have contributed to this sentiment. The brutal economic and racist realities exposed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have diminished the government’s ability to present a “united effort” behind its imperialist project.
His major points:
Murta spoke for the generals (who can not directly criticize a President, their commanding officer, thus this pro-Pentagon Congressman spoke for them.)
Democrats are not anti-war. Like Murtha, some Democrats now question how the war is being fought. This is because the US is losing. Were the US winning, they’d be even more silent than they are now. Nor do they question the decades-long US policy of imperialism and invading countries.
Does Congress matter? No.
The answer: build an independent movement