Appearing recently on NBC’s Meet the Press, Representative Rahm Emanuel refused to take a concrete position on Iraq that contrasts with George W. Bush’s “stay the course” nonsense. Emanuel, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said only that Democrats must demand “measurements” and “set standards” and avoid calling for an exit strategy or troop withdrawal, despite polls showing that the American people support such policies.
Toward the Majority.
In a Washington Post op-ed, Michigan Senator Carl Levin became the latest high-profile Democrat to indicate support for withdrawing troops from Iraq. In the course of his article Levin made it clear that an exit strategy is a pro-national security position because setting a timetable for withdrawal will provide an added incentive for Iraqis to take responsibility for their own security.
David SirotaDavid Sirota is a journalist, nationally syndicated weekly newspaper columnist, and radio host. His weekly column is based at The Denver Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Portland Oregonian, and The Seattle Times and now appears in newspapers with a combined daily circulation of more than 1.6 million readers. He has contributed to The New York Times Magazine and The Nation and hosts an award-winning daily talk show on Denver's Clear Channel affiliate, KKZN-AM760. He is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and a Huffington Post contributor and appears periodically on CNN, The Colbert Report, PBS, and NPR. He received a degree in journalism and political science from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He lives in Denver with his wife, Emily, son Isaac, and his dog, Monty.