Competing views about Iraq are healthy

(photo by "lowyota")

Skeptical Democrats vs. supportive Republicans (except for Senator McCain) - The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a real hearing today about future policy in Iraq. General Michael Hayden, head of the CIA is currently reading his prepared statement on the C-SPAN3 webcast. There were sharp disagreements between Democratic and Republican views of the committee members as they questioned General Abizade and a State Department spokeman this morning. I believe that a national consensus will emerge out of the upcoming vigorous and full debates within Congress , within the Iraq Study Group, and within the body politic. This is the debate, unfortunately, that should have taken place before the invasion. But at least it is happening now.

Democrat Hawks vs. Doves - U.S. House Representatives John Murtha and Steny Hoyer are competing for the post of Democratic Majority Leader. The contest is scheduled for a secret ballot among Democrats in the House tomorrow. An LA Times (11/15) article focuses on their differences over what to do in Iraq. The votes will, in some ways, settle the question about which views will prevail: Murtha's "dovish," or Hoyer's "hawkish" positions. Where will the Senate's support come down for the president's future conduct of the war? The story begins,

Injecting the Iraq war into the escalating fight for the No. 2 spot among House Democrats, Rep. John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania on Tuesday attacked his opponent for not backing a push last year for withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland disputed the criticism of his position on the war. Murtha's charge was an effort to turn an antiwar message central to Democratic gains at the polls last week into a wedge issue in determining the party's leadership as it prepares to take control of the House in January.
Murtha's broadside also raised the prospect that the showdown with Hoyer for the majority leader's post would have a larger ideological element than often is the case. Usually, the leadership contests turn more on matters of personality and style than issues.

Pelosi vs. Republicans regarding the Bush administration's war policies - Rep. Pelosi has spoken out about U.S. foreign policy, and in particular about the war in Iraq. Her views were no secret, and those views won out in the very healthy re-election debate. Voters consciously chose Nancy Pelosi to lead our representatives in the Peoples' House. Here are a few quotes from About.com-Women's History that present the flavor of her past views:

• America must be a light to the world, not just a missile. (2004)


• Protecting America from terrorism requires more than just resolve, it requires a plan. As we have seen in Iraq, planning is not the Bush Administration's strong suit.


• Every American is indebted to our troops for their bravery, their patriotism, and the sacrifice they are willing to make for our country. Just as our soldiers pledge to leave no one behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind once they come home. (2005)


• The president led us into the Iraq war on the basis of unproven assertions without evidence; he embraced a radical doctrine of pre-emptive war unprecedented in our history; and he failed to build a true international coalition.


• We will not be Swift Boated again. Not on national security or anything else. (2006)

A new Middle East media voice - Aljazeera's English language channel recently made its debut. This media outlet will definitely offer more competing indigenous mid-eastern views. Quoting from the BBC,

Al-Jazeera English will initially broadcast for 12 hours a day before becoming a
24-hour news operation from 1 January.
It will broadcast from studios in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC, in addition to 20 other countries.
It will be available to 80 million homes - double its target audience - in
Europe, Africa and south-east Asia. In the United States, the channel will
be available via a broadband internet connection, but not distributed by a major
cable or satellite system.

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My "creative post" today at Southwest Blogger is about free photo and artwork resources on the web.