When Senator John Kerry lost his 2004 presidential bid, the Democratic Party was sent reeling. Last week, though, we saw new leadership and a new party when Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) took the Senate into secret session to demand answers on Iraq intelligence. It is a good sign for this country that the Democrats are starting to act less like victims and more like leaders.
With the Vice President’s chief of staff indicted in connection with Iraq War intelligence leaks, American casualties in Iraq rising with no end in sight and a frustratingly slow investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee, Reid took action.
He invoked a closed session under Senate Rule 21, which led to the formation of a group of senators that will examine the state of the inquiry and that will report back on Monday, Nov. 14. Reid did this because he felt that the Senate, and the American people, deserved to know why we went to war.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), called Reid’s move an affront to the nation. We call the misappropriation of National Security intelligence an affront to the United States of America. We think it is an affront to the nation that, when faced with a war and a national disaster, the Republican congress thinks we should cut taxes again and forget about our college loans. And up until recently, it was an affront to the nation that we did not have an opposition party to stick up to the Republicans.
Today, it seems like we are about to have that party, thanks in no small part to Senator Reid. It was under his leadership that the president’s disastrous Social Security plan was defeated, and he has made the best of a difficult wave of judicial nominations. With leaders like Reid and party Chairman Howard Dean beginning to step forward, progressive patriots have a chance again.
On Tuesday, we saw Democratic victories in California, New Jersey and most importantly, Virginia. Every day we see the Bush administration losing its luster and its clout. It is too early to say for sure, but if Harry Reid’s November 2005 is anything like the Democrat’s November 2006, this country will be in much better shape.
