Nelson: It's Time To Change Course

By: Dave Sund

I haven't exactly been Ben Nelson's biggest fan in the world, but he generally has a pretty good idea of where Nebraskans are on an issue, and I think that's one of the reasons why he's so popular. Which is why this bit of news in Wednesday's Lincoln Journal Star came as an encouraging sign for the state of the debate on the war in Iraq:

Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday he'll push for a change in the military mission when the Senate next week resumes consideration of U.S. policy in Iraq. U.S. troops should be phased out of sectarian conflict in Baghdad, Nelson said, and redeployed to pursue and destroy al-Qaida elements in Iraq. That transition over a six-month period would lead to reduced troop levels without any artificial deadlines for U.S. withdrawal, he said.  

While the Bush administration may argue its surge of additional combat troops is showing some military success, Nelson said, it is not leading to the political accommodation required for peace and stability. "It's very difficult to see what reducing violence in Baghdad has achieved," he told his weekly telephone news conference from Washington. Without Iraqi progress in achieving a political settlement and national stability, Nelson said, it's hard to argue that U.S. policy is succeeding. "In that context," the Democratic senator said, "I don't think the surge has worked."

This is the debate that the administration refuses to have: there is no military solution in Iraq. This must be dealt with politically, diplomatically, and responsibly. No more platitudes, no more fearmongering, no slogans or empty promises. Bring this war to a responsible end.

Nelson's evolution on Iraq has been interesting to watch, because I think it presents a window into Nebraskans' opinions on the war in Iraq. My own personal experience in 2006 was that people in Nebraska had just about had enough of the war in Iraq. Nelson didn't say much of anything about the war during the campaign - he didn't have to with an opponent like Pete Ricketts. But since the new Congress began, he has been outspoken in trying to build bipartisan support to change course in Iraq.

If only the Republicans would listen. But Ben Nelson has been a pleasant surprise over the last few months. And it's been good to see a reminder of why I - and so many others - voted for him.

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For Your Viewing Pleasure: The Famous "Assface" E-mails

Remember those Republican staffers working for Sen. Tom Coburn who were out to get Sen. Ben Nelson. Well, we at NNN thought you might all like to see their artful displays of childish contempt for yourselves.

Note: A black Sharpie has been used to protect the innocent.

TAC is, of course, Sen. Thomas A. Coburn, whose staff seems to be prodding him to take this issue farther and farther for their own personal and political reasons. The hit piece being celebrated by these jokers is an August 2nd article in The Hill reporting Coburn's grandstanding against a single earmark for a Nebraska company in the Defense appropriations bill for not filing one particular disclosure form.

 

Whether hoping to embarrass Ben Nelson, make a name for himself, or just "shut that fucker up", Coburn completely fails to point out that, according to government watchdogs at the Sunlight Foundation, no defense contractors are filing the obscure forms he seeks. That's a damn shame because the lobbying practices they pertain to should be disclosed, but it also reveals the hypocrisy at the heart of this whole stupid situation.

Just another great moment in democratic discourse brought to you by our friends in the Republican Party.

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Childish Republican Staffers Target Ben Nelson in Earmark Battle

A story from last month that ended with Sen. Ben Nelson retracting a controversial earmark request for an Omaha-based company that employs his son found renewed life thanks to a series of e-mails coming to light that suggest the controversy and criticism directed at Nelson may have been quite personal and probably even partisan in nature. As reported by The Hill: A battle between the offices of Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) over a controversial earmark intensified earlier this month, displaying how debates on Capitol Hill sometimes can turn personal. The senators had been at odds over the matter for much of the summer, but it would reach a new level when John Hart, communications director for Coburn, forwarded a news article detailing his boss's request for an investigation of a defense contractor. The target of the would-be investigation, 21st Century Systems Inc. (21CSI), employs Patrick Nelson, the son of the centrist senator. Sen. Nelson had requested an earmark for 21CSI, triggering a heated battle between the senators that has raged for weeks.  "This will shut that fucker up," Hart stated in an Aug. 1 e-mail sent from his Senate account to several of his colleagues. "I can't wait to send an In Case You Missed It to Nebraska press that will be forwarded to assface".... Hart has since said that his missives were directed at Nelson spokesman David DiMartino, not Sen. Nelson. I wish I could hold this e-mail up as an example of Republicans' super-partisan mentality, but this seems to be more a case of simple stupidity. Why might Coburn's staff bear such animosity towards Nelson - or, even towards his spokesman Mr. DiMartino? I suspect it has something to do with the following article from July's Omaha World-Herald that proved Nelson's staff quite adept at putting their Republican assailants back on the defensive:

Sen. Ben Nelson had a message Tuesday for Sen. Tom Coburn: Take care of your own backyard before you attack other lawmakers' earmarks. The Oklahoma Republican filed an amendment last week to eliminate $7.5 million that Nelson, D-Neb., wanted to steer to Omaha defense contractor 21st Century Systems Inc., which calls itself 21CSI. A Coburn spokesman compared 21CSI military computer software to video games and criticized the project as classic pork barrel spending. Nelson's office staff responded by defending the earmark as important to national defense, but also decided to take a look at earmarks in the defense bill that would benefit Oklahoma. They came across a $5 million earmark for military simulation training in Oklahoma. The earmark was inserted into the bill by the other Oklahoma senator, Republican James Inhofe, who could not be reached. That simulation training program has involved the Institute of Creative Technologies, which has received millions through federal earmarks over the years, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. One product of the funding was a video game called Full Spectrum Warrior that proved commercially successful but of limited military use, according to the group. "Senator Coburn's derided the research and development work done in Nebraska by mischaracterizing it as 'video games' and deemed it unworthy of funding, while ignoring and tacitly approving a $5 million earmark for his home state that actually does fund video game development," said Nelson spokesman David DiMartino. That's a pretty damn fine retort if you ask me. Regardless of the ultimate merit of the 21CSI funding, there's nothing quite like the revelation of this blatant hypocrisy to make Coburn and his staff look like a bunch of fools. Of course - as previously stated - Nelson has withdrawn his earmark request, but the actual spending remains in the Senate's appropriations bill. It faces a long road in the House, though, because Nebraska's Republican Congressmen are so uniformly lacking in stature and influence. And, I fear the same will hold true of every dollar Nebraska seeks back from the federal government until we elect some Representatives who are honestly worthy of their colleague's respect. Until then - to paraphrase Second District Congressman Lee Terry - if you want something done in this state, you should "just go talk to Ben."

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Nelson on Iraq: Calls for Troop Reduction But Recognizes Long Term Commitment

It doesn't make me particularly popular with readers, but I have genuine respect and admiration for Senator Ben Nelson's cautious and well-reasoned position on the war in Iraq. Today's Lincoln Journal-Star includes Nelson's honest assessment of where things should head from here: [Sen. Ben] Nelson said he favors transforming the U.S. military mission in Iraq without setting any troop withdrawal date. Iraqi forces need to take responsibility for security and stability in Baghdad, he said, while U.S. troops "go after al-Qaida in a much more robust way." That transition naturally would lead to a reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq, Nelson said. "We need to challenge the Iraqi government to do what it needs to do" to reach political accommodation and stabilize the country, he said. "But we'll have a presence there for a long period of time," Nelson said. It saddens me to see how anti-war activists, the media, and the Republican Right have worked together to re-imagine the 2006 election as being driven by a single supposed demand for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, setting an irresponsible and self-serving standard that undermines the more general cries for change that were truly at the root of the Democratic Party's success. Nevermind that this destructive fantasy neglects every other failure and outrage during years of Republican corruption and abuse. Probably worst is how the Democratic Presidential candidates have allowed their positions to be defined and dictated by this false construct, forcing them to extremes that will ultimately hurt their candidacies while making responsible Democratic legislators look weak and any true Congressional reforms impossible. Voters should be wary of Nelson's statement that "we'll have a presence (in Iraq) for a long period of time" - not because he's wrong but because we can't lose sight of the goal of withdrawal. But, to do so responsibly requires the sort of change in strategy Nelson is talking about and can help make a reality - if Democrats avoid the sort of demagoguery that doomed the Republicans in 2006 and that got us in this mess in the first place.

It is going to fall to our next President to set the terms of our commitment to the Iraqi people and - hopefully - our military's withdrawal from their country. It is good to be talking about exit plans, but they are no excuse and no replacement for an actual strategy. Battles over cutting funding for the war and when to demand complete withdrawal will not only hurt the Democratic Party's larger agenda but will also force precisely the sort of gridlock and inaction that will put our Armed Forces and our next President in even worse positions. The Bush Administration, Republican filibusters, and the prevailing uncertainty about our mission in Iraq are all realities we must deal with if any true progress is to be made. The coming Congressional debate does not need to be a zero-sum game between warring partisan factions. There is room for principled stands and impassioned debate without giving in to the easy rallying cries and expected brinkmanship from both sides that would close the door to compromise and leave President Bush completely unchecked by Congressional authority. What Nelson offers is a path to avoid this worst-of-all-worlds, "do-nothing Congress"-scenario that is otherwise so likely and so damaging to the entire cause of Democratic reform. This isn't to say that Nelson can be trusted implicitly. In this coming debate, he must remain stronger than he sometimes has in years and on issues past - asking tough questions, demanding honest answers, and insisting on accountability. If he can do that, he will have served the people of Nebraska and this country honorably - keeping faith with the ideologically diverse Nebraska voters who re-elected him in the real 2006 election.

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Sen. Nelson Urged "Don't Surrender to Al Qaeda"

If you've been watching cable news over the last week, there's a good chance you caught the TV ad by Vets for Freedom promising that "we and the Iraqi people can prevail UNLESS CONGRESS SURRENDERS." The ad then urges "SENATOR NELSON - DON'T SURRENDER TO AL QAEDA." The video can be watched here. Otherwise, below you can watch the exact same ad directed at Virginia's Republican Senator John Warner. Warner and Nelson appear to be the only two Senators targeted by this campaign, although similar ads are being aired thanking Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for not giving into pressure "from those who will accept defeat." This is a pretty clear demonstration of just how essential a voice Ben Nelson's has become in guiding the Senate's actions in Iraq. I've been quite upfront with my praise of Nelson for advocating so measured an approach that has established true standards by which the situation's progress could be judged. But, I'll admit to being concerned that Nelson might not stand fast by the benchmarks he proposed under this sort of lobbying pressure. If you think the situation in Iraq is going to take a little bit more than crossing our fingers and staying the course, then it really does fall on us to make sure that Sen. Nelson and the people of Nebraska hear alternative voices other than these "Vets for Freedom" - who have a clear agenda of preventing Congress from forcing any true reform no matter how dire the situation reported (with sugar-coating) by General Petraeus in September. Nelson needs to know that Nebraskans support his calls for accountability and for proof of a workable strategy that includes an actual exit plan. Of course, I don't think NNN readers can probably afford dueling advertisements to counteract what you see above. But, what you can do is call Sen. Nelson's Washington D.C. office at (202) 224-6551. Or, send him an e-mail through his website. Letters to the Editor of your local newspaper (see right) always help as well. Nelson's heard a lot from groups like "Vets for Freedom" and from Hal Daub's "Stay the Course" Republicans because they know how decisive a vote his can be in so closely-divided a Senate. Now, it's long past time that he hear from those who prefer peace and realistic possibilities to another four years of pride-filled fantasies. By staying silent, we might well be surrendering Sen. Nelson's vote and - with it - any chance for a new strategy in Iraq before the next president is elected. We've come too far and waited too long to surrender to this war without end. Ultimately, if we want Nelson to stand strong in demanding change in Iraq, we must stand with him or not be disappointed when he decides to stand down.

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NE Appleseed Praises Sen. Nelson on Children's Health Care

A lot of Democrats complain about Sen. Ben Nelson's voting record (sometimes for good reason), but I'm glad to know we have at least one representative in Washington who actually believes the children of Nebraska's working class should have health coverage. Senator Nelson stands up for Nebraska's children LINCOLN, August 3, 2007 - Yesterday, the Senate passed a bill reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), called Kids Connection in Nebraska. The bill presents Nebraska with the opportunity to provide health care access to more of its uninsured low-income children.... Both the Senate and the House passed SCHIP bills that include significant increases in funding for the program and other policy improvements. The funding and provisions of both of these bills mean that Nebraska can continue to provide health care to those children already enrolled in its Kids Connection program and can provide vital health care access to even more children who are eligible for the program but who were not participating. Over half of the uninsured children in Nebraska are eligible for Kids Connection but are not enrolled. Senator Nelson was the only member of the delegation to support this broadly bipartisan and highly successful program. "With this vote Senator Nelson demonstrated his true commitment to Nebraska's children, their health and their futures," said Becky Gould, Executive Director of Nebraska Appleseed. "We hope our other representatives take the opportunity on the final vote to prioritize health care access for Nebraska's children." The Nebraska Appleseed Center continues to do good work, providing a strong voice for those families with the greatest need. Read their full press release here. Thanks to Nebraska Appleseed and to Sen. Ben Nelson. As for the rest of the bunch - Fortenberry, Hagel, Terry, Smith - they should all be ashamed.

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