pelosi is no leader

When Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became minority leader in the House of Representatives in 2002, I had high hopes that she’d overcome the novelty of being the first female leader of the House Democrats and would actually lead. It’s something that her redecessor, Rep. Dick Gephardt, failed to do many, many times.

Then I heard her speak. I was, to say the least, unimpressed.

Since then, she’s had fleeting moments of brilliance, surrounded by a lot of inane, spineless moments when she missed valuable opportunities to fight for the party. Her entire effort with both the DCCC and the Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004 was quite embarrassing – not to mention her 2003 work in the California gubernatorial recall that ended up putting Arnold Schwarzenegger in office. Her guide seems not to be any cutthroat intuition, but the advice of so-called “expert advisers,” focus groups and media analysts, who seem to urge her to not take any extreme position, lest she offend.

Such a strategy is weak and has hurt the Democratic party over the past 20 years. Many leading Dems are beginning to fight back, including Pelosi’s Senate equivalent, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). Yet Pelosi continues to toe the line, keeps forcing a smile, and refuses to fight the good fight, out in the open.

Yesterday she continued this losing mentality when she had the chance to shine.

Recently, the Democrats have started to show some heart and some spine with regard to party pride, message and agenda. The most recent example of this was yesterday, when Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) advocated bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq. Rep. Murtha is a decorated Vietnam veteran who is well known as being a war hawk and more moderate-to-conservative on many issues, and a well-respected member of Congress with regard to military strategy. So when he said this yesterday, he gained the attention of many on both sides of the aisle:

The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region.

. . .

I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States occupation. I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process for the good of a “free” Iraq.

My plan calls:

• To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces.
• To create a quick reaction force in the region.
• To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines.
• To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq

This war needs to be personalized. As I said before I have visited with the severely wounded of this war. They are suffering.

Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our responsibility, our OBLIGATION to speak out for them. That’s why I am speaking out.

Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. IT IS TIME TO BRING THEM HOME.

So, in a nutshell, Rep. Murtha wants to aggressively redeploy troops into Iraq to properly train the Iraqis and give the currently-deployed troops the manpower to properly and expediently finish their tasks. This expediency will allow the troops to come home without simply “cutting and running,” thus salvaging what can be saved of the U.S.’s dwindling international credibility.

Rep. Murtha spoke truth to power, come forth with a concrete and feasible strategy to succeed with power transition in Iraq, and get our troops home. Coming from a hawk, this is quite stunning, and it raised the ire of the White House. Witness Scott McClellan’s reaction during yesterday’s press gaggle:

Congressman Murtha is a respected veteran and politician who has a record of supporting a strong America. So it is baffling that he is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party. The eve of an historic democratic election in Iraq is not the time to surrender to the terrorists.

Note that Rep. Murtha said nothing about any form of surrender. If diplomacy is surrender, then the White House knows nothing about international affairs, or even basic civil dialogue and discourse.

And yes, Rep. Murtha raised eyebrows within the Democratic ranks as well. And for a time, it seemed like Rep. Pelosi might show some support. But according to The Washington Post, she retreated to some sort of focus group response:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told colleagues at a closed meeting yesterday morning that she, too, would advocate an immediate troop withdrawal, according to several who attended. But by day’s end, Pelosi – a liberal who has sharply criticized Bush’s handling of the war – chose merely to praise Murtha and say he deserved to have “his day.”

Now I’m not an advocate of immediate cut-and-run from Iraq. Indeed, we need to leave the place in better shape than it was in before we needlessly attacked. Rep. Murtha’s proposal is the only one I’ve seen that makes any such attempt, and for this I applaud him.

Rep. Pelosi should’ve done the same, rather than say the equivalent of “oh, he’s such a good doggie!” She needs to show the liberal and progressive chops that should be bona fides, given her home constituency of San Francisco. Yet she continues to disappoint.

The House Dems need a leader with a spine, a fighter, a person not afraid of speaking truth to power. Please, please – let Rep. Pelosi be an effective leader for her district and get a real fighter in the minority leader position. Now is the time to be strong, not to be wishy-washy.