Peace candidates could stir a debate on Afghanistan policy

Bill Boyarsky has an article on Truthdig.com that has some relevance for the position we take on this website, namely, to end the US-led war in Afghanistan. The article, "America's War Disease," can be found at: http://truthdig.com/report/item/americas_war_disease_20100507



The thrust of Boyarsky's article is to offer hope for a timely withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in a situation where President Obama is increasing troop levels in the country, where liberal congressional representatives are by and large supporting Obama's policy, where the media have virtually ceased covering the issue, and at a time when the country is saddled with a host of crises that redirect the attention of the society in other directions. The basis for his hope is that there are some peace candidates running against incumbent office-holders in congressional elections.



One such peace candidate is Marcy Winograd, who is challenging incumbent Jane Harmon in the Democratic Primary. The congressional district involved "reaches from the Los Angeles suburbs through beach cities and inland cities. It is a district that Harmon has represented from 1993 to 1998, and then from 2000 to the present.



While Winograd and Harmon agree on many progressive issues, they have different positions on Afghanistan policy. Harmon supports President Obama's policy of a "carefully calibrated timetable, flexibly based on conditions on the ground. Harmon voted against a resolution brought to the House floor by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). The resolution called for a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan within 30 days of the passage of his bill and assistance to Afghanistan in rebuilding its war-torn society. Unlike Harmon, Winograd says she would have support the Kucinich resolution.



Boyarsky is excited about the candidacies of peace supporters for congressional seats, because they will help stimulate, he thinks, a debate over our embroilment in Afghanistan (and in Iraq and Israel-Palestine). But there are not many peace candidates and they aren't given much of a chance to win. In the case of the Harmon-Winograd electoral race, Harmon has the party establishment's support, much more name recognition, and more money to spend on her election than Wiongrad. In addition, the electorate is more concerned about housing foreclosures, unemployment, state budget shortfalls and cuts in services, than the war in Afghanistan.



We would love to see Winograd unseat Harmon, but think it's unlikely. We do not deny that one factor in a movement for a transformed foreign policy would include courageous and dedicated candidates like Harmon, along with an aroused public. Unfortunately, at the moment, the odds do not look good for peace candidates. Thus, to quote the last sentence of Boyarsky' article, "Otherwise, the US will continue to be mired in this fruitless war." And we add, with more on the horizon.