Getting Out Of Iraq And Getting The Bloggers In

Sometimes, it feels like we have so far to go, so far to go to bring some sort of cohesiveness to our party and to get across our message not just to the American people, but to our own leaders in Washington, D.C. that it can seem virtually impossible.

Other times, we should celebrate our victories. Today is one such time. One of my clearest, and to be honest, more pleasant, memories is going into the war room on the Kerry Campaign, knowing, absolutely knowing that my friend Peter Daou would be in the far corner of the room, head down, on his computer with his trusted compatriot Ari.

Peter worked incredibly hard for John Kerry but just one Presidential cycle ago, integrating the bloggers, which really means, integrating all the people outside of DC who congregate, debate and read the blogs, into a Presidential Campaign was an uphill task.

This time around, that's very different and yesterday, there was a great example of that. Governor Bill Richardson released a new web site, www.getourtroopsout.com and launched it with a video and today a TV spot which features three of the top bloggers out there, Chris Bowers and Matt Stoller, of OpenLeft.com and Christina Siun O'Connell of FireDogLake.com.

Here is the video:

One of the things that interests me is that back in 2003 when Governor Howard Dean was standing up and criticizing the war, one of the public/media knocks on him was 'what does the former Governor of Vermont know about war and the Middle East?"

This time, we have a very different dynamic. The candidate, clearly, who has the most international experience of all the potential contenders, is the one who is stating the clearest position in Iraq.

Get out.

A couple of more things were interesting about the conference call yesterday that was for bloggers only. First was Christina's story of working for LBJ back in the 1960s because he said he wold bring our boys home from Vietnam. He didn't.

It was interesting because I wonder if that could happen this time around, kind of like, say, how it just happened with all of the people who gave so much time, money, soul to electing Democrats to Congress last year to watch them fold and then condemn MoveOn. So file that under, fool me once, shame on you.....

Second is that Christina, inadvertently, proved a long-standing point of mine. The bloggers are not tech people who discovered politics. They're political people, often life-long activists, who discovered that technology gives them a better voice.

Hat tip to Bill Richardson for helping that voice be heard.

Comments

[sedalia066]

As much as I consider bloggers to be important voices, we need more bodies on the streets and we need more people running for office. We can talk all we wish in BlogLand, but we are too often preaching to the choir. Action in protest vigils, marches, and other public demonstrations seems to me to be the better way. We cannot leave blogging behind, but on the streets must be increased if we are to win in time.

Jerry Northington

[cautionbug]

Excuse my cynicism as i remain skeptical of yet ANOTHER blog website among thousands that stands in protest of this war. This site is one of the most active i've seen with posts crying out for Democratic unity, strength, and ACTION against a criminal president.

And it goes completely unheeded by those who should be listening most closely.

So i'm sorry if another blog site just doesn't bring me the breath of fresh air and sense of hope. Democrats in Congress simply aren't listening, do not care, and have their priorities completely out of alignment with reality. Remind you of a certain psychotic Republican president?