Still Fighting

Activism

Campus Activism. There was a lot of discussion last year around mobilizing young voters to get involved in the election, and the Campus Activism site provides tools for today's progressive youth to stay involved past Election Day. Students can use the site to connect with each other, sharing information and resources on the causes they care about. Browse through the site's listings of campaigns, speakers, and resources, keep track of upcoming political events, and exchange ideas with other students at the forum. Students are often dismissed as unmotivated slackers, too busy to get involved in (or even care about) how the world they'll inherit is being shaped today. The Campus Activism site provides students the tools they need to get involved in making a difference.

News

US Fights Fresh Abu Ghraib Images. Prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib became a big story when photos surfaced last year of American troops humiliating and physically abusing detainees at the prison, twenty miles west of Baghdad. Since that time, administration officials have dismissed the prisoner abuse as the work of a few "bad apple" soldiers, and indeed it has been only these low-level personnel who have been punished. Now there are more photos of prisoner abuse, and our government is trying to keep them out of the public eye, claiming that releasing them will only aid the insurgency. With reports of officials as high as Alberto Gonzales and Donald Rumsfeld involved in setting the policies that led to this culture of abuse, it's no wonder that they're desperate to deflect attention. This kind of inhumane treatment of prisoners is one of the arguments used against Saddam Hussein, back when this war was about taking him out. I'm sure Bush would love to have this whole affair disappear without a trace; what he and his chickenhawk administration don't understand is that we have a right to know what they're doing over there in our name, and the responsibility to hold them accountable for it.

Still No Agreement on Iraq Constitution. Since almost the very beginning of the war he chose to start, Bush has touted visions of a free and independent Iraq. Milestones were marked when Baghdad fell, when Saddam Hussein was captured, and when elections were held. Bush himself predicted that the Iraq elections would amaze the world "that a society has been transformed so quickly." The latest step on Iraq's journey toward a free and democratic society is the writing of its Constitution, which is scheduled to be completed today. Unfortunately for Bush's timetable, there are several key issues which remain unresolved, and so far it seems that consensus is still out of reach for the various groups involved in defining the form that a free and democratic Iraq will take. Kurds and Shiites remain divided over what role Islam will play in defining Iraqi law, and there isn't much time left for them to reach a concensus. One Shiite member of the constitutional committee stated that only a bare majority of the national assembly, "fifty percent plus one," is required to approve their Constitution; hardly an atmosphere of consensus on the eve of a new society's birth.

Four Amendments & a Funeral. Matt Taibbi spent a month observing the intimate inner workings of our Legislative Branch, and his report in this month's Rolling Stone is a wake-up call to anyone who isn't already paying attention. Taibbi followed Representative Bernie Sanders as he worked on passing four legislative amendments, three of which did pass and a fourth which never came up for a vote. Ultimately all four amendments were defeated by what Taibbi calls "the grossly corrupt and absurd vortex of political dysfunction that is today's U.S. Congress." Sanders himself says that if anybody knew how Congress was really run, "they'd go nuts." It's nothing new to those of us who've been paying attention, except in the scope of this report's detail: For the first time, we're treated to a detailed accounting of how our Congress works behind closed doors. Massive giveaways in Bush's recent victories on the Hill, an energy bill and a highway bill loaded with corporate kickbacks and stuffed with hometown pork, were "a veritable bonfire of public money." We always sort of knew that this kind of thing goes on, but the real question now is what can we possibly do to put a end to it?

Editorials

Mr. Bush, Let's Talk. Cindy Sheehan started a buzz that so far refuses to die down, a wonder in itself in this age of ADD media hype. Those on the left applaud her and support her cause; those on the right cast doubt on her character and tell her to sit down and shut up. We can't bother the president, they say: He's either on vacation or still working hard, depending on who you talk to. Just yesterday he took a bike ride, after telling reporters that he can't talk with Cindy because it's important for him to get on with his life. In theory, those who hold elected office have a duty of responsibility toward those they represent, and the foundation of our society is based in part on governance by the will of the people. It seems Bush defines "the people" as only those who support him, financially and otherwise. It's true that he did meet with Cindy once before, shortly after the death of her son, but since then a lot of new information has come out that casts doubt on his shifting justifications (and there have been many), and highlights the fact that there's no clear goal in Iraq. Bush could defuse this situation by giving her what she wants, but he continues to hide himself behind a wall of privilege, rhetoric, and denial. Mr. Bush, tear down that wall!

Kissinger's Revisionist History Lesson. Supporters of Bush's war in Iraq deny there are parallels between the Vietnam War and where we find ourselves in Iraq today. Henry Kissinger was Nixon's Secretary of State, and he draws on his experience as an architect of our withdrawal from Vietnam to analyze how a similar withdrawal from Iraq might affect the war effort there. The problem is, Kissinger views the end of the Vietnam War as a success story for America, and by focusing solely on military matters he ignores the larger social and cultural issues involved. Public perception had much to do with the war effort then, and it plays a large part of the Bush administration's strategy today. The sad truth is their focus is more on ensuring continued support for the war and less on ensuring that the actions they take, in our name and on our behalf, make sense and get the job done. Kissinger's rosy view of the past colors his perspective today, and by focusing solely on what he believes should be true he perpetuates BushCo's narrow-minded errors in judgement.

Blogger Commentary

WOW. Cindy Sheehan has been camped out near Bush's "ranch" for just over a week now, and every day she posts updates to let us all know how it's going. This diary of hers at Daily Kos tells the story of a caravan of supporters who showed up at Camp Casey after a rally in downtown Crawford. As much as the Right Wing Noise Machine would make Cindy out to be a shrill tool of the "far left," it's clear from her own words that she is motivated by genuine feelings of grief and betrayal. It's easy to get dispirited by the Bush administrations ability to duck, dodge, deflect, and deny bad news and dissenting opinions, but Cindy shows that all it takes to make a difference is the determination to hold them accountable. Read Cindy's account of this outpouring of support for her and her efforts near the heart of darkness, and take heart yourself: Her struggle is, in a way, also ours, and Bush can't ignore us forever.

Finally, We Are Come to This. We all make mistakes, even though we rarely like to admit them. A main theme of the Bush presidency has been "steadfast" and "resolute" leadership; ignoring the bad news in favor of the good, even if that means making up your own good news to make yourself look better. The Light of Reason blog compares this mindset to that of "a badly damaged adolescent," and uses Bush's warnings against early withdrawal in Iraq to highlight the dangers of this way of thinking. Staying the course does no good if you end up driving off a cliff. Refusing to back down even when you're proven wrong indicates a dangerous disconnect from reality. It must be nice to feel untouchable, wrapped inside a protective bubble of power and privilege where no-one dares question even your simplest mistakes, but when you're in charge of world's most powerful country it's a disaster just waiting to happen. We haven't yet felt the full weight of Dubya's mistakes during his time in the big chair, but ultimately it's just a matter of time.