Today's word "Originality"

“As the Baker-Hamilton commission deliberates recommendations for Iraq, it faces a tremendous opportunity and responsibility. The opportunity is to help generate for the president and Congress a bipartisan way forward. The responsibility is to make the hard choices that are required to turn our Iraq policy around. If it fails to make those choices, its efforts will be in vain.” From The Minimum Necessary by Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Sunday, November 19, 2006; Page B07 the Washington Post

I’m glad and all about The Baker-Hamilton commission attempting to chart a new course for Iraq. And by the way, news reported today on MSNBC is that a Syrian foreign minister is heading to Iraq for talks. Looks like what I mentioned in my post the other day is coming to fruition (undercover diplomacy taking place). That aside my question is why have not the Democrats been able to formulate there own Iraq exit strategy and why they always seem to be throwing off on the Baker –Hamilton commission’s recommendations? This brings me to my word for the day "originality".

You see when the Democrats won the power vote it was for a new direction. Granted the Baker-Hamilton commission is working toward that end in Iraq, the Democrats also should work on a plan of their own which they can present before the people of the nation as their own. I watch democratic analyst be asked “what is the Democrats’ plan for an Iraq exit strategy?” and I here a lot of stuttering and incoherent un-uniformed answers. You have to credit the Republicans, when they had a talking point everyone rank and file said the same thing. They had a theme about themselves. And it is most effective when an entire group speaks the same thing.

Now the Democrats like to be known as the party that represents diversity. That is all well and good when you are talking about the people you represent. But when it comes to policy there should be no diversity within the party. There will be disagreements and differences of course but you should end up with a unified policy. And when that unified policy is in place and everyone is speaking the same thing as related to that policy, it will be reinforce with the listener because they are hearing that theme over and over until they get the message. Granted the Republican’s theme was a little off but it sold because they would repeat their theme over and over from talk show to talk show. And because they would say the same thing so much the listeners believed what they were hearing. I’d like to see the Democrats implement some of that.

That being said it would be nice to see Democrats come up with their own distinct, step by step plan for an Iraq exit strategy. Nothing replaces coming up with your own solution and being able to say this is what we came up with. And it would allow them to stand on their own solid plan instead of one that is in essence being authored by the Republican camp. When the 2008 presidential campaigns hit high gear who will be able to say we came up with a solution for Iraq and run that as the highlight of their campaign speeches? How can the Democrats say they did when they keep falling back on the Baker-Hamilton commission? It’s almost as if they are wholly depending on that commission’s report to be their solution to free them of the responsibility of coming up with their own solution. As if the commission is the last hope for Iraq. So what if it does not work? Then what? It would be back to square one, one party blaming the other.

If the Baker-Hamilton commission’s plan does provide a workable solution to the Iraq crisis it will be a good thing for all involved especially for the citizens of Iraq and US troops. But what a shame the Democrats are squandering a grand opportunity to come out ahead on finding an exit strategy for Iraq. It would be an asset to them to be able to affirm “We had the Plan” or “We were the party with the plan”. Democrats are handing another victory to the Republicans by not proactively defining their own agenda for Iraq. And come 2008 who will the people of the nation see as leaders? Let’s get some originality going Democrats.