A Rebuke from Congress

A Rebuke from Congress

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

In a matter of hours, the House of Representatives will vote to oppose President Bush’s plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq. Though the resolution does not carry the weight of law, the debate is still significant: This marks the first time that the US Congress has voted decisively against the Bush Administration’s Iraq policy.

For once, Republicans find themselves in an uncomfortable place, on the defensive. Though a small band of GOP dissidents chose to vote with the Democrats, most Republicans stuck with the President. This week has not been the party’s finest PR moment. You had members like Virgil Goode, now infamous for insulting Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison, likening critics of the war to “jihadists who want the Crescent and Star to wave over the Capitol,” and replace the words “In God We Trust” on American money to “‘In Muhammad We Trust.”

Surely this is not the image the Republican Party, no matter how unpopular, wants to project. Democrats for their part, found some confidence in fighting off the GOP’s argument that such a resolution would undermine the troops in the food. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio was particularly eloquent on this point. But both sides, as Chris Hayes wrote, needlessly fetishized the American solider, using the image as an excuse to hide behind our nation’s lack of shared sacrifice.

Democrats are working on a tough plan to condition how the money for the escalation can be spent. But many of them–and virtually all Republicans–remain unwilling to state an uncomfortable truth obvious to the majority of Americans: The war is lost and America should leave.

Support independent journalism that exposes oligarchs and profiteers


Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.

Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.

Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.

The Nation has seen unprecedented times before. We draw strength and guidance from our history of principled progressive journalism in times of crisis, and we are committed to continuing this legacy today.

We’re aiming to raise $25,000 during our Spring Fundraising Campaign to ensure that we have the resources to expose the oligarchs and profiteers attempting to loot our republic. Stand for bold independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x