[Peace-discuss] Tim Johnson on the wars

[Robert Naiman]

Regardless of what one thinks of Tim Johnson on any other issue, or of
Republicans or Democrats in general on this issue or any other, I
believe that Tim is totally sincere in his opposition to the wars, and
has demonstrated it with consistent action over a period of time.

Recall that in early 2007, Tim voted for the (largely Democratic)
resolution against President Bush's decision to escalate in Iraq. He
was one of 17 House Republicans to do so. I don't see how one can
explain that on the basis of partisan opportunism. He voted against
his party and president, and angered many local Republicans, I think.
That was a principled vote.

On election night 2006, Ricky and I were at the Courthouse, tallying
votes in the referendum on the Iraq war. We watched Tim give his
victory speech. He talked about the national results, how people
clearly were fed up with the Iraq war, how we needed to do something
different. Again, I don't see any plausible way to put a nefarious
interpretation on that. Nobody made him say that. He had just won
re-election with Syrian vote totals.

This summer Tim was one of a handful of a members of either party who
voted against the war supplemental in the House based on opposition to
the wars.

He also co-sponsored and voted for Representative McGovern's
Afghanistan exit strategy amendment, one of a handful of Republicans
to do so.

I think one thing that helped turn Tim was the experience of his own
staff. His chief of staff, I think, was a reservist and has served in
both Iraq and Afghanistan, I think. I remember trying to lobby his
office on Iraq a few years ago. And one of his staffers was like, you
can't tell us anything about this, our chief of staff has served
there. Meaning we support the war. And lobbying them again a few years
later, and the same staffer basically telling me, you can't tell us
anything about this. Our guy has served there. Meaning we are totally
against the wars.


-- 
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org