The war in Iraq is not the number one issue and never was. Not in '06 and not today.

[Dante_]

Most Americans do not have a personal connection to the military. I know lots of people with kids or relatives who enlisted and I know lots of blue collar public employees who are in the reserves and guard, but it is still not very personal to me.

Do we need a national service with a military draft? I don't know.

But the lies that the war in Iraq is why the Dems won the Congress back just gets me riled up. It was ONE of many issues. Rahm Emmanuel did as much as anyone to elect House members and he is who I get my backing from for my opinion/facts, not some talking head or spin meister on a cable network.

[Skittles]

1. I've sent over a thousand postcards to the troops

and dozens and dozens of care packages. Mailed one this morning. It is the number one issue to me but I agree most people don't give a crap. Maybe being a USAF brat/veteran makes me care more, I don't know.

[tuckessee]

6. What's your take on the war?

Are you trying to ensure that it continues for another 5 years?

[Skittles]

7. I absolutely detest the war

it is possible to separate the two (except for repukes); I sent stuff to the troops during the first gulf war too. All of the troops I have communicated with understand that support for the troops does not necessarily mean support for the war - perhaps you should learn that too.

[tuckessee]

8. Have you sent anything to the Iraqi civilians?

The ones whose medical care is non existent?

The ones whose infrastructure was destroyed & not rebuilt?

The ones who are going hungry?

The ones who've had non-combatant family members killed?

The ones who've lost limbs & have no compensation or rehabilitation?

The ones who are no longer able to attend school?

The ones who are refugees?

Has there been any organized American charitable effort (even grassroots) to help make life a little better for the poor saps who never wanted any piece of this war in first place?

[Skittles]

9. OF COURSE I HAVE!!!!!!!

kids shoes, clothes, toys, blankets, medicines, school supplies - that constitutes the majority of my packages!!! I get friends and co-workers to donate things too. THAT is what a lot of the soldiers ask for.

[tuckessee]

10. So there's no direct way of helping them.

You give stuff to soldiers to dole out as they see fit to their unwilling subjects. There's some major irony in that.

[Skittles]

11. OK, I am done with you n/t

[Dr Fate]

2. I think most people realize that Iraq is draining the economy.

All people may not list it as the #1 issue that they base their votes on, but they are not idiots either- they know their money is being pissed away by stuborn politicians in that God-Awful desert.

More and more people are figuring out that it is an all encompassing issue that touches & concerns anything else that costs money (AKA everything)

If Rahm really thinks ignoring discontent with the war and its costs is a good idea, then we are in trouble. Then again, that type of misguided thinking is what led him and his ilk to support Bush's war and then protect him from impeachment in the 1st place.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. If people only knew all the facts, it WOULD be the number one issue

1. It's costing a minimum of $250 million per day, so four days of the war equals the annual subsidy for Amtrak, while the annual budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is two days of war. Nine months of the Iraq War is equivalent to the entire annual budget of Health and Human Services, only a tiny percentage of which is "welfare."

At $250 million per day, what could we do domestically? Build new homes for all the displaced residents of the Gulf Coast? Repair our crumbling infrastructure (and create living wage blue collar jobs in the process)? Subsidize medical professionals who promised to work in underserved areas? Provide health care for countless numbers of people?

The Republicans love to use the excuse of "no money" for not funding domestic programs. Yet history has shown that they always seem to find the money for war.

2. The Iraq War is absolutely ruining America's reputation throughout the world, just as people in other countries were starting to forget about Vietnam. Far from protecting America from terrorism, it has ENCOURAGED the development of terrorist groups.

3. The Iraq War is using up more oil than it's "protecting."

4. The Iraq War is irreparably damaging countless young people physically and mentally.

[Nihil]

12. Excellent summary.

If there were any honest politicians (I know, it's an oxymoron)
in Washington, maybe that would be a way for them to defend the
important funding: measure each amount in "Iraq Days" (and using
"Iraq Hours" & "Iraq Minutes" as necessary) to bring home the
sheer WASTE that Georgie's War is costing.

:shrug:

[murielm99]

4. The war is a big issue for people.

I felt, as far back as the 2004 convention, that more people wanted the Democrats to express criticism of the war, and to begin backing away from it as a party. I know that there was frustration in my area when Kerry did not speak out more against the war at the convention. I remember being told that they had agreed not to do that at the convention because it would be viewed as too divisive.

That made about as much sense to me as Gore's decision not to fight back against the Supreme Court's decision to stop the vote count in Florida. I always thought he could have found other ways to force a reconsideration. Smart lawyers could have brought other issues about the election into the courts, even if it delayed the inauguration. It was heartbreaking to see him presiding over Congress, with the Congressional Black Caucus trying to prevent the election from being certified. He and his advisers decided to let it go. They never thought we would end up with such a nightmare of an administration.

By 2006, even former supporters had begun to hate the war. But you must know that politics can turn on a dime. I think the Foley and Macaca issues had a great deal to do with turning the tide. People were simply disgusted by those things. We won a narrow majority because those things became last minute news. The economy was worsening too, but it hadn't begun to bite as many people as it has now. People react to symptoms and incidents as much as they do to fact. Who knows what new circuses will pitch their tents in the political arena before November 2008?

Thank you for recognizing Rahm's expertise. Many DUers vilify him for being DLC. He is a savvy politician who knows what he is doing. He did use his skills to get more house members elected, no matter what the purists here have to say about him. He buried the hatchet, as I believe all good politicians do, and worked with Dean. With Dean as the head of the DNC, we were able to accomplish even more as a party.

Have you ever seen Rahm on one of the Sunday morning gasbag shows? If he is going to be on, I make an exception and watch. He always acquits himself well. He presents our party in the best light, and does not allow himself to be bullied by interrupting repukes or to be run over by the likes of GE Timmy. Rahm is a pro.

Of course, I am a regular party Democrat, and I have been for a long time. I work within the Illinois party at the grassroots level. I feel experienced enough now to run for the chairmanship of my county Democrats. It will be a bumpy ride during an election year.

I have a few people on ignore because they have excoriated me personally for respecting Rahm. If they want to disagree with me, fine. But I get sick of the personal attacks that take place here during primary season. Get ready for those attacks. And welcome to DU.

[dorkulon]

5. I always thought the media pronouncement that the '06 election was all about Iraq was BS.

That election was about the Republicans having screwed up absolutely everything they touched. Iraq was only one of many examples.