Money to pay for the Iraq War is back on the agenda. Last spring, Congress appropriated funds through September and now the senate will take up the question of how much to spend and on what terms.
Pressure is on the Democrats to go toe to toe with the president and impose a timeline for withdrawal.
In our focus town of Exeter we found some Democrats who think their party should not back down, but among the party base, there is more ambivalence than you might expect.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Jon Greenberg has more.
Exeter has many churches, Lutheran, Methodist, fundamentalist Christian, Catholic and more. If you want to find Democratic voters on a Sunday morning, your best bet is the Unitarian Universalist.
SFX from church service
After the 9 a.m. service, members gather for a coffee hour in a large open room with bare wood floors.
This is a group that, with few exceptions, holds a common view on the war.
Montage
Marian: I am against our being in Iraq. I’ve been against our being in Iraq since the beginning.
Jeremy: From the beginning, I have been very much against the war.
Susan: We should never have started this war.
In this setting, it is no surprise to come across people like Pat Yosha, a retired educator, who expects Democrats in Washington to dig in their heels and insist on a timetable for withdrawal.
I agree with John Edwards approach which is to keep sending the funding bills back. Keep sending them back,when the president vetoes them, then keep sending the funding bills back and keep sending them back… and not approve the funding. I am tired of them falling into the trap of being seen as not supportive and not patriotic for not supporting the troops with money.
But Yosha’s position is not shared across the board. Contrary to the rhetoric of Republican stump speeches, Democrats have a variety of opinions on what the U-S should do next in Iraq.
Last week’s testimony by the top American officials in Iraq had an impact on Sarah James. She says it gave her a different picture of conditions on the ground.
I did appreciate hearing some of the positive things that were happening and some of the areas of stability that I had not heard about before. I came out of the week feeling more positive about our presence that I went into the week.
Jeremy: I don’t think my opinions were changed at all.
Sarah’s husband Jeremy was not so moved by what he heard. But his desire to see America get out does not lead him to a clear view on how that should be done.
Jeremy: It’s so complicated, it’s really hard to have an to know what Congress should be doing. I think what I struggle with is trying to keep my anger over being in the war out of the picture and just be more focused on “How do we fix it?
Members of this congregation see conflicting dimensions of America’s role in Iraq. Marion Mengert takes part in a peace vigil every Thursday afternoon at 5 on the steps of the Exeter town hall. But even this ardent activist sees some benefit in the presence of American forces.
Mengert: I don’t think we’re doing any good there, but I suspect if we pull out things will get worse.
JG: What is the concern you have? Chaos in Iraq as fertile ground for terrorists?
Mengert: I think that terrorists can find a base of operations against us without being in Iraq. I’m more concerned about the Iraqi people suffering right now and suffering when we pull out.
Democratic activists who call for a quick and total withdrawal of American troops would understand Marion’s compassion. They would have a harder time with the views of John Morgenthau, an independent who votes Democratic. Morgenthau, in some measure, accepts the Republican argument that a quick withdrawal would come at the expense of America’s honor.
how to extricate yourself with the least amount of shame, that’s the problem.
JG: So saving face, that’s an important issue?
Morgenthau: Oh yes. Absolutely.
Liberal groups such as Move On paint the upcoming senate debate as a test of Democratic conviction. Clearly, some in this room agree. But more typical is this comment from Marion Mengert, the peace activist.
I feel the Democrats’ hands are tied by Bush’s veto.
JG: You’re not going to hold congress accountable if they pass a funding bill that largely meets Republican demands?
Mengert: Nope, I’m not going to.
Senate Democrats are looking at several compromise measures that they hope will attract sufficient Republican support. In the eyes of some Exeter voters, that is simply playing politics. But in this Unitarian church, this fertile field for Democratic votes, there is great ambivalence over what America should do next. If Senate Democrats fail to take a hard line on war funding, it might not be because they aren’t listening to the Democratic base. It might be because they are.
For NHPR News, I’m Jon Greenberg.
