The Assad smear is particularly difficult to unravel. Nothing about our involvement in the Middle East is simple. If we research the Syria trip, we find Gabbard had official permission to travel to Syria, she funded this herself, she traveled with a group that included fellow peace advocate Dennis Kucinich, she met not just with Assad, but with his opponents, community leaders and with citizens. She sought a full picture of events there in an attempt to verify facts to keep us from being lied into another war as we had been with Iraq. The US involvement in Syria is complex. It’s essential to look at the ways our actions have contributed to the problems Syria faces. It’s important to understand not every US action is a help to the people of a given nation. Gabbard understands this as no other candidate. She knows enough to realize we must seek facts before taking action. She consistently points to our constitution and the President’s need to go through Congress when it comes to war.For some reason Tulsi was the designated villain (as SNL named her in one of its skits), perhaps because of her support for Bernie over Hillary in 2016; perhaps because she gutted the Kamala Harris candidacy last year. Perhaps it is for some other reason. The backstab by Pelosi is just part and parcel of how she's been mistreated by her own party. Just last week the DNC changed the rules to keep her out of the debates again, after having changed the rules to ensure that Mike Bloomberg got a chance to debate. He'd have been better off if they hadn't, but Tulsi has been strong when she's made the stage. With only Bernie and Biden left -- and Biden slipping into hostile incoherence -- perhaps they fear to let her back onstage again.
It’s interesting to note Nancy Pelosi met with Assad during the Bush administration and took a great deal of criticism for having met with him. Pelosi responded that all should meet with Assad and any dictator in the interest of diplomacy. Pelosi’s voice was noticeably absent when Gabbard was being smeared for her courageous effort to broker peace. Pelosi remained silent when Harris, Buttigieg and numerous media outlets used the Assad smear to attack Gabbard.
In Praise of Tulsi Gabbard
Acknowledging her flaws, there remains a lot to like about her. Most of what impresses this author will probably strike most of you as reasons not to support her, but read this argument on her alleged support for Assad.
It is my opinion that the national Democrat party wants her not to be on stage because they fear she will poke holes in the candidacy of one of the two remaining people who will reasonably win the primary. She has no chance of winning herself, and her presence will do nothing (positive) for the campaign of Sanders or Biden. Thus, she must be silenced. There literally is no other reason for this move.
ReplyDelete... perhaps they fear to let her back onstage again.
ReplyDeleteNo "perhaps" to it. Third way politics is a problem for U.S. politicians ... though an advantage to U.S. citizens.
John Anderson shaped Reagan's Social Security reforms. Ross Perot shaped Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America". Tulsi's issues may, and should, shape the U.S. congressional war making power whichever party takes control of the House. But in the process her appeal draws votes from other candidates who would rather not deal with her, or her voters.
It's of a piece with a pet peeve of mine, illustrated by this from the quoted part: to keep us from being lied into another war as we had been with Iraq.
ReplyDeleteNobody lied us into Iraq; the intel underlying one of the motives for going in was wrong. But, according to the Left there can be no error, no misspeak, no difference in interpretation, no disagreement. The one must be lying and can only be lying. Nor is the attitude exclusively from the Left toward Conservatives. We have Sanders and Warren calling each other liars over nothing more than a difference in interpretation over something that was said in private--assuming the thing was said at all. We have Harris calling Biden racist over a difference in policy, other candidates doing the same to Bloomberg, and doing so by applying today's standards to yesterday's actions which seemed to fit yesterday's circumstance.
With that fundamental attitude toward something as innocuous as disagreement or mistake, it's no surprise at all that Gabbard is being held back and with essentially the same fix that Party used against Sanders in 2016.
Eric Hines
The intel for once was not wrong. The weapons saddam h had went into syria due to the un and britain stalling for time. Britain had huge provlems even in basrah.
ReplyDelete