[Peace-discuss] Tim Johnson on the wars

[John W.]

On Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 2:49 PM, Robert Naiman <naiman.uiuc at gmail.com>wrote:

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.
>


So to sum up, then, Bob, Tim Johnson is responsive to a constituency of one?

Ah, well.  I have no problem with a politician having the integrity and
courage to change his/her mind where the evidence warrants it.  But I shall
never forget my confrontation with Tim Johnson at the Steak and Shake, where
he shouted, "I've seen the figures, and WE CAN DO IT ALL!"  That one
statement, much like Bush Jr.'s statement that "there has never been an
innocent person executed in Texas on my watch," was all the evidence I will
ever need of the man's fundamental ignorance and hubris.

John Wason




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