Thousands Protest, No One Hears

image credit: PeaceSymbol.org

Tens of thousands of people marched through the nation's capital today to protest the Iraq War and other demented Bush Administration policies.

A raucous and colorful multitude of protesters, led by some of the aging activists of the past, staged a series of rallies and a march on the Capitol yesterday to demand that the United States end its war in Iraq.

Under a blue sky with a pale midday moon, tens of thousands of people angry about the war and other policies of the Bush administration danced, sang, shouted and chanted their opposition.

They came from across the country and across the activist spectrum, with a wide array of grievances. Many seemed to be under 30, but there were others who said they had been at the famed war protests of the 1960s and '70s.
Thousands Protest Bush Policy

Lots of activists, actors, and other celebrities showed up, but according to the Washington Post story, one of the most moving speeches came from a twenty-one year old wife of a soldier who's serving in Iraq:

But the most moving words were [Oriana] Futrell's.

"My husband deployed last June to Iraq," she said. "He is an Army infantry officer currently patrolling the streets of Baghdad. And I just have to say I'm sick of attending the funerals of my friends. I have seen the weeping majors. I have seen the weeping colonels. I am sick of the death."

"I don't know what else to say, other than: 'Bring them home,' " she said. "It is time. We need to bring them home where they can be safe."

Can't you just imagine Jonah Goldberg trying to tell her what a crybaby she is for not wanting her husband to stay over there until the job is done? I can certainly imagine her kicking his doughy butt all the way down the Mall.

Meanwhile, Congress has resolved that it won't do anything meaningful on Iraq. The Senate voted down Chris Dodd's proposal:

A real bill, with real teeth, went before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, Chris Dodd's. The Beltway Bubble Establishment moved into action immediately to kill it. Ultimate Beltway Bubble Establishment Shithead, Joe Biden, tried to pressure Dodd into withdrawing the bill. Dodd refused. Biden was joined by 4 other Democrats who want to pass the toothless nonbinding symbolic thing-- Cardin (D), Nelson (FL), Casey (PA) and Webb (VA; it was a nice speech last night) and all the Republicans, both the Bush Regime dead-enders like Lugar (IN), Corker (TN), Issacson (GA), Vitter (LA), Voinovich (OH), Murkowski (AK) and DeMint (SC), and the ones who want to appear to be against the war without actually voting against Bush: Sununu (NH), Coleman (MN), and, distressingly, Hagel (NE).

Most Dems On The Foreign Relations Committee Vote Against Escalation ...

Webb and Hagel voted against it. I have no idea why Webb voted against it. Here's what he's quoted as saying the Chicago Tribune:

Five Democrats, as well as all 10 of the committee's Republicans, rejected Dodd's approach. Part of their reasoning was political -- they thought it would not pass Congress.

"This is not the place or the time," said Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), a war critic who delivered the party's response to the president's State of the Union address.

Senate: 'Slow-walking' war vote?

It never is the time, apparently. In fairness, Webb just got there. We'll see how things go. This is in keeping with Hagel's policy of talking like a rebel on Iraq but never doing anything substantive, however.

Instead, the Foreign Relations committee have decided to pass a bill that means absolutely nothing, which Bush will ignore anyway (h/t Howie Klein). The vote was 12 to 9, with only Hagel supporting it among the Republicans. The much hoped-for "bipartisan opposition" failed to materialize behind even this tepid bit of nonsense. In short, the Republicans played the Democratic leadership like they always have. Hagel tried to shame his Republican colleagues this way:

But Hagel implored his colleagues to take a stand after four years of docile acquiescence.

"What do you believe? What are you willing to support? What do you think? Why were you elected?" he asked. "If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes. This is a tough business."

Senators Rebuff Bush on Troop Plan

Clearly, Senator Hagel has never made a living as a shoe salesman.

Ostensibly, the language of this meaningless exercise in doing absolutely nothing was too strong for the Republicans, however, who will now offer their own:

But several Republicans indicated they would vote for a resolution of opposition if the language were toned down. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), a presidential candidate, said he was in talks with Warner on a resolution he could embrace. Others were still awaiting some sign of compromise from the president.

Senators Rebuff Bush on Troop Plan

To answer Senator Hagel's questions, they believe in nothing, they will support whatever will keep them in the style to which they're accustomed, they think they like being Senators, and they were elected to keep someone even worse from taking their places.

I'm not mad at the Republicans. I should be, but they've always been slimy mealy-mouthed hypocrites who were mostly interested in their own well-being. I expected more of the Democrats, Webb particularly. Clearly, I was never optimistic that anything would actually be accomplished, but Congress seem to be going out of their way to make sure they don't confront Bush about anything. It seems that, once again, we've voted for people who won't do what we pay them to do, which is run our country for us. The only difference is who's in charge.

Maybe Oriana Futrell needs to kick their doughy butts down the Mall, too. I'd pay to watch that.

UPDATE: shoephone dropped by and tried to link to her coverage of the SOTU, but was defeated by the URL killer. The Evergreen Politics blog also has a roundup of news coverage related to the march.

UPDATE2: Marion In Savannah quotes from a NYTimes editorial on the march, and another one about Bush and energy policy and the lack of intersection between those two things.