Blogging at TPM Cafe:
Looking back, and looking forward
By Wesley Clark
September 2, 2005
This week on TPM Café has been a tremendous experience for me, and I hope it's been a good one for you as well. Blogs are changing politics by opening the door to new voices and providing a new way to work the issues together. They allow us to talk and debate directly in the finest tradition of American politics, in a way that has not been possible in this age of mass media and mass politics. I wish I had the opportunity to answer even more of your questions. But I hope you will follow up on our discussions here, or on the blog on my own site, SecuringAmerica. com.
As I think back on this past week, here on TPM Café as well as during my travels through Wisconsin and Iowa, I have been overwhelmed by the strength and resilience of our people, even in the face of national crisis like what we've seen across the Gulf Coast this week, and by their desire to move past the bumper sticker politics of Washington.
Faith is not a red or blue value. Neither is love of our country or support for our troops. Neither is our common belief in the need for opportunity for all people or to invest in our schools and hospitals. These are American values, and it is past time for Democrats to reclaim them from right-wing Republicans in Washington.
What I see right now is a failure of this Administration and Congressional Republicans to go beyond their rhetoric and live up to these values. There is no strategy for real success in Iraq. There is no commitment to support our returning troops through a new GI Bill. And when disaster struck the Gulf Coast, it took President Bush days to get off his mountain bike and back to the White House. The victims of this disaster are now suffering terribly from an obvious lack of planning to deal with this catastrophe.
Over the longer term, scientists tell us that global warming could lead to more devastating hurricanes like Katrina. But, the Bush Administration continues to keep its head in the sand and pretend this problem doesn't even exist.
There is a leadership vacuum in Washington, and it is up to us to end it. Democrats can reclaim Congress and the White House, but only if we become a full-service party: strong on national security, standing up for our values, and not giving an inch to the scorched earth smear tactics of Karl Rove.
Thanks for participating in this discussion over the past week. I've enjoyed it, and I've learned a lot. I hope you have too. I look forward to continuing this dialog with you here, at SecuringAmerica. com, and across our great country.
Thank you.
