DEMS AND SADDAM, TAKE TWO

Sometime in the next couple of months, war with Iraq is coming. Once more, a Democratic controlled Senate will be asked to approve the use of military force against Saddam Hussein. Just for a refresher, here is how current Dem senators (and Jeffords) voted on the Gulf War resolution:

For: Breaux, Graham, Lieberman, Reid, Jeffords

Against: Akaka, Baucas, Biden, Bingamin, Byrd, Conrad, Daschle, Dodd, Harkin, Hollings, Inouye, Kennedy, Kerry, Kohl, Leahy, Levin, Mikulski, Rockeffeller, Sarbanes, Wellstone.

This brings up a couple of questions:

1) Twenty DovDems remain from the first vote. Will they a) repeat their mistake even with the hindsight of the Gulf War; b)admit they were wrong the first time; or c) change their vote and try to pretend that there is nothing inconsistent about their voting pattern.

2) One of the DovDems, John Kerry is seeking the Democratic nomination in 2004. His supporters claim that his service in Vietnam innoculates him from GOP attacks on the Dems quishiness about using military force. In reality it does nothing of the sort. Yes, after Vietnam John Kerry's personal courage and patriotism are indisputable. But on the most important foreign policy decision since the end of the Cold War, for all of his personal courage, he chose appeasement over national resolve. How has he become more trustworthy on national security issues since then?

3) If Kerry does win the nomination, it will put liberal hawks in a quandry - to pick their poison between the clear disaster that is the Bush domestic policy (including the lasting effects of Bush's judicial appointments), and the potentially greater disaster of a DovDem foreign policy. Hopefully, Dems will shy away from this mistake and look to either Gore, Lieberman, or even John McCain to lead the fight against terror abroad and corporate cronyism at home.