Posted by
Peter Citera on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 3:11:00 PM
Earlier this Morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) threatened an all-night session of the United States Senate "complete with roll-away beds"* to debate an amendment to a defense appropriations bill. Said amendment, sponsored by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Jack Reed (D-RI), mandates troop withdrawals later this year and would have most troops out of Iraq in Spring of 2008, thereby ensuring American defeat and effectively leaving a huge FOR RENT sign hanging in the metaphorical window. Not that it would hang long, of course. I'm sure there would be no shortage of potential tenants to fill the void left by our capricious exit - none of whom would have to pass a background or credit check, if you know what I mean.
Thankfully, Reid's pajama party isn't likely to have much of an effect on actual policy - it would take 60 votes to invoke cloture on a Republican filibuster, and that looks to be about as likely as Muqtada al-Sadr winning the Humanitarian of the Year award, but don't underestimate the real impact that this political stunt could have on U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reid vows to "... work on this amendment until we get an up-or-down vote on it." (As to the location of the roll-away beds when Republicans were demanding the same on Bush judicial appointees, I have no idea, but I digress.) As we all know, Senate debate can be lively at the best of times, and you can bet that this polarizing issue is sure to have its share of headline-grabbing sound bites, especially out of the mouths of certain Presidential-candidates looking to curry favor with their base. ("Polarizing Profundities Pander to 'Progressives', Propel Politicians Percentage Points in Primary Polls, film at 11.")
Now, being the hard working people that they are, most Americans will likely be sound asleep during this "all-nighter", choosing instead to get the warmed-over highlights and quotes-du-jour on the AM news and talk shows. Heck, if Harry Reid will be speaking, even the most hard-core insomniacs are likely to find themselves some somnolence, provided their televisions are turned to C-SPAN, however it's not the American audience (or lack thereof) about whom we need to worry. What remains to be seen is if Reid, Reed and Co. understand exactly who will be watching with bated breath, taking notes and plotting their next moves as a direct result of tonight's "festivities". You see, thanks to the concept of time-zones, what NBC, ABC and CBS will be taping in the middle of the night for future use, Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya and a host of other Middle-Eastern outlets will be showing live mid-day, and you can bet the farm that a good percentage of their viewers will be our enemies looking for further signs of weakness in the U.S. political ranks. Why? To exploit that weakness of course, and as any soldier who has served in Iraq will tell you, they won't be using PSAs, publicity stunts and blogs to do so, preferring such tools as IEDs, mortars and mines.
You see, in addition to being determined to destroy the United States and everything it stands for, our enemies are also smart. They know that the traditional media prefers to sensationalize rather than report, and the best lead-in to a sensationalistic 'story' is a death toll. They know that U.S. public opinion is largely based on what is said in the mass-media. They know that, as a direct result of American mainstream media, every attack on an American soldier will likely serve not to unify and rally our nation (as it did in previous wars), but to divide and conquer it. These are the people that the organizers of tonight's stunt should be concerned about inspiring, because their comments in the marbled-halls of Congress could have a direct and dire impact on the bloody streets of Baghdad.
I'm not in any way saying that we should cease debate on this issue or any other. I'm not suggesting that our political leaders become scared of voicing opinions, because that would also be a victory for our enemies. What I ask - indeed what every American should ask, regardless of his or her views on Iraq, is that those opinions are voiced with prudence, temperance and tact; keeping in mind that it is not just the eyes of American voters, but also Al Qaeda terrorists that will be cast on Washington tonight. Will they 'get it'? That remains to be seen, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Copyright 2007, Peter Citera
All Rights Reserved