a congressman discovers reality

Thanks to David Cho, I've learned that the marketing genius behind the international embarrassment called "Freedom Fries" is sponsoring a resolution demanding W announce an Iraq exit strategy by the end of the year.

North Carolina Republican Congressman Walter Jones says he has about 50 co-sponsors to the resolution.
Jones said the reason for going to war — Saddam Hussein's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction — has been proven false.

"If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have supported the resolution," said Jones, who had coined the term "freedom fries" as a show of support for the war in Iraq.

He said that if numbers are accurate that between 75,000 and 100,000 Iraqis have been trained as soldiers and police, then it's approaching time for the country to start defending itself.

Jones said he has sent letters to families of fallen troops. He's also met with family members of troops killed in Iraq, including with Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who was sitting outside President Bush's ranch in Texas to protest the war.
Before dissecting the resolution or speculating on how the White House will ignore it, I ask you to pause. Remember that the anti-war movement, like every thing worth fighting for, will succeed cumulatively. Every voice of opposition is a Good Thing. Every member of Congress who opposes Fearless Leader is doing the right thing. The chorus demanding an end to the war gets louder, others gain courage to add their own voice, and one day, one bright day in the future, we will have grown too large to ignore.

Comments

  1. Anonymous19 August 2005 at 07:03

    You know what? A 180 is not always a hypocrisy. It is not always something to be laughed at.

    This guy, regardless of his "freedom fry" idea that put the US on the top of the International Buffoonery List, has admitted that his earlier support was wrong. That takes courage - how many of us can ever even admit we were wrong on the little things, let alone wrong on supporting a war?

    I respect the 180. I respect his statement. He is right - had many people "known then" what they "know now", America would be a much different place than it has become.

    Every voice counts, as you say. Walter Jones should be commended, not condemned, for having the courage to face up to his mistake, admit he was wrong in his support, and add his voice.

    If we are to find hope, people, we will find it in those who realize the error of their ways and put their energy into helping others realize those same errors in themselves. Let's hope Jones isn't the only one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. laura k19 August 2005 at 07:34

    I don't think it's hypocrisy at all. It's very admirable and courageous. If more people could do it, we'd be in much better shape.

    Just in case anyone thought I was implying hypocrisy or the ridiculous charge now known as "flip-flopping," or in any way criticizing Jones's stance, I was totally not.

    ReplyDelete
  3. David Cho19 August 2005 at 08:35

    I have mixed feelings about Jones. Has he really woken up or is he listening to the polls. Granted, they can go hand in hand on some occations.

    Besides, a lot of people including myself thought the intelligence was quite flimsy at best and that Bush was bent on going to war. So there is a lot that he should have known.

    ReplyDelete
  4. laura k19 August 2005 at 08:46

    There is a lot everyone should have known, there's no doubt about that.

    To me, however, everyone and anyone who once supported the war but now turns against it, is important and very welcome. Their voices will hasten the end.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous19 August 2005 at 10:01

    Well, I don't question his sincerity. What on earth could have produced the absurdity known as freedom fries except an impassioned heart unimpeded by logic, reason, or guile?

    ReplyDelete
  6. allan19 August 2005 at 12:32

    "If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have supported the resolution."

    You mean if you had known that Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rumsfeld, et al. were all lying sacks of shit?

    Hundreds of millions of people around the world -- including average citizens like us -- knew they were flat-out lying. There was plenty of proof. Why didn't Jones see it?

    And his other comment -- that if numbers are accurate that between 75,000 and 100,000 Iraqis have been trained as soldiers and police, then it's approaching time for the country to start defending itself -- shows he is still believing the lies being spewed by the Regime.

    But yes, since an admission of having made a mistake seems almost physically impossible for this right-wing bunch, it is something.

    Maybe he can decide to rename the potatoes "Failure Fries."

    ReplyDelete
  7. laura k19 August 2005 at 13:19

    There's room for everyone on the peace bandwagon - especially Republicans.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous19 August 2005 at 18:02

    Redsock: When in a fishbowl, all the fish knows is the fishbowl. Has to be put outside of it to see what the rest of the world sees. Slowly but surely, more fish are leaving the bowl for the larger, global pond, so to speak. Jones is just the latest one.

    L-G: didn't mean to imply you were suggesting it was hypocritical. Certainly, I know you were not. It was more made out of the assumption that someone would write in that it was ... hence my mentioning it off the bat. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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