For the Left, war without Bush is not war at all
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
August 18, 2009

Remember the anti-war movement? Not too long ago, the Democratic party's most loyal voters passionately opposed the war in Iraq. Democratic presidential candidates argued over who would withdraw American troops the quickest. Netroots activists regularly denounced President George W. Bush, and sometimes the U.S. military ("General Betray Us"). Cindy Sheehan, the woman whose soldier son was killed in Iraq, became a heroine when she led protests at Bush's Texas ranch.

That was then. Now, even though the United States still has roughly 130,000 troops in Iraq, and is quickly escalating the war in Afghanistan -- 68,000 troops there by the end of this year, and possibly more in 2010 -- anti-war voices on the Left have fallen silent.

No group was more angrily opposed to the war in Iraq than the netroots activists clustered around the left-wing Web site DailyKos. It's an influential site, one of the biggest on the Web, and in the Bush years many of its devotees took an active role in raising money and campaigning for anti-war candidates.

In 2006, DailyKos held its first annual convention, called YearlyKos, in Las Vegas. Amid the slightly discordant surroundings of the Riviera Hotel casino, the webby activists spent hours discussing and planning strategies not only to defeat Republicans but also to pressure Democrats to oppose the war more forcefully. The gathering attracted lots of mainstream press attention; Internet activism was the hot new thing.

Fast forward to last weekend, when YearlyKos, renamed Netroots Nation, held its convention in Pittsburgh. The meeting didn't draw much coverage, but the views of those who attended are still, as they were in 2006, a pretty good snapshot of the left wing of the Democratic party.

The news that emerged is that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have virtually fallen off the liberal radar screen. Kossacks (as fans of DailyKos like to call themselves) who were consumed by the Iraq war when George W. Bush was president are now, with Barack Obama in the White House, not so consumed, either with Iraq or with Obama's escalation of the conflict in Afghanistan. In fact, they barely seem to care.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/For-the-Left_-war-without-Bush-is-not-war-at-all-8119694-53506047.html

I have raised a few of these points to the more liberal anti Bush people that posted prolifically about the wars. Where are you now?

But, but, but, BHO has only been in office _______ months, healthcare destruction is more relavant, gotta' hang that artist, he's still figguring out how to write checks to China and all the Auto dealers.
Too much going on to worry about some wars that are going on thousands of miles outa sight.
Not much coverage on the deaths from the unbiased Liberal MSMs either.

no kidding.. where are the daily CodePink rallies outside the white house? Will Cindy Sheehan be demonstating outside Martha's Vineyard when the Obama's go on vacation?

Left wing-Right wing there is no difference except the spelling. If you stand behind what Bush did and call yourself a conservative your are nothing more than a sheeple and are no different than those who support Obama being sheeples!!!!! GWB and conservative values

Did you notice that when Obama talks about Afghanistan you just think he is another G.W. Bush ?.
I think the US should pull its troops soon from both Iraq and Afghanistan . However the last word is for the huge corporations and their oil and resources interests .

Interesting thought. I suppose nothing has really "changed" after all.

Maybe some haven't noticed, but there's like this HUGE recession going on? It was all over the MSM, but I realize most of you extremists say you pay it no mind. Some of us have seen half the people we work with being let go because of it.

Maybe some people think that's a tad more important than a conflict that the Conservative Elite said would make everything just wonderful forever for both the Iraqi and American people. I mean really, being greeted as Liberators for 6 long years is swell and all. But what about the pesky insurgency that Cheney et al assured us had had its back broken as late as 2006??

But hey, nice try in trying to twist what was always a Bad Idea(tm) from Day 1 into political mileage waaaaay past its shelf life. It has, and always will be, a super-glued-on barnacle on the Bush Legacy.

And really-- what are you so upset about-- if Obama supports your favorite war, that means you can't call him a traitor like you tried to do to many of us who opposed it from the beginning, right? If he's a wartime president, as you so like to point out, what's that make many of you IN YOUR OWN PAST WORDS for criticizing him in the middle of a war? Oh how fickle the definition of Patriotism when extremist partisan politics is the dictionary...

-Kerry O., "...and gads, stop with the LIBERAL this and LIBERAL that as if it's a useful noise..."

Great great post

Not only has BHO not ended any wars, he's approved more troops and rebuilding prisons in Afghanistan to house and interrogate more prisoners.

Shame, shame and shame !.

Double post .

Very Nice...

Unfortunately, what I ascertain from your post is that it's ok to protest war when times are good, but when times are tough, we just sweep it under the rug and pretend it isn't happening..

However, I don't believe that. I think as the author of the article contends, it was about Bush, and not the war. We all know that democrats have never had a problem involving us in wars.

You can ascertain whatever you like, sir. But the fact is, many of us also thought Viet Nam was a huge mistake, too.


-Kerry O.

I thought the topic was about the wars BHO promised to end.
He ain't doin' it.

How is it possible some of you have no idea what the hell is going on in this administration and what Obama is accomplishing in Afghaistan etc? Must be just watching Beck and Rush and Fox, other wise you might know what's been going on in afghanistan and why we are still there. Geez doesn't fox cover this stuff, or do they just feed you all that angry stuff so you assume Obama is uninterested and doing nothing.. ugh

Try turning the channel now and then.

I suspect he will in his own good time. And that whatever he does, you of the minority party won't approve. You'll never approve of anything he does, so what's the point?

-Kerry O., "Quickly as you can, snatch the pepple from my hand...."

Another crap from another ignorant or a hypocrite.....!.

If the US has any human decency left after G.W. Bush carnage they ought to get out of both Afghanistan and Iraq now !.

That was brilliant..
Call it what you like but I watch the news daily, 7 days a week all channels 'not just' Fox and the right winger news, and it's amazing one could miss what is going on and why...

I can assure you that I don't doubt it.

I wasn't alive at the time the war was raging, but I am fairly sure that people wouldn't have stopped protesting because of regime change or economic conditions.

I think you make a case for sincerity vs duplicity..