Ain't it hard when you find your hero ain't nothing but a hollow man

A little while ago, in listing my favorite candidates for the Democratic nomination, I had John Edwards at #1 and Barack Obama as #2. After events of the past week, let's move them into a tie. In doing so, we'll also see why so many Congresscritters are really blowhards when you come down to it, including some you would never suspect.

Here are some quotes by war critics:
1. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN):

A troop surge in Baghdad would put more American troops at risk to address a problem that is not a military problem...That will put American soldiers in the cross-hairs of sectarian violence, create more targets. I just don't believe this makes sense.

2. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE):

"I have to say, Madam Secretary [of State Condoleezza Rice], that I think this speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam...I will resist it.”

3.Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE):

I believe the president's strategy is not a solution. I believe it's a tragic mistake, so Secretary Rice, to be very blunt, I can't in good conscience support the president's approach."

4. Sen. James Webb (D-VA):

"On both of these vital issues, our economy and our national security, it falls upon those of us in elected office to take action....Tonight we are calling on this President to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way."

Today, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) submitted a bill that, in his words,

says that, prior to sending any more troops -- the 20,000 the president wants to put into Iraq, 17,000 of them into Baghdad, a city of 6 million people -- it would require a prior authorization by the Congress.

The bill got 6 votes from the 21-member committee, all from Democrats: Boxer, Dodd, Feingold, Kerry, Menendez, and Obama. Voting no were all 10 Republicans and 5 of the Democrats. These nay votes included:
1. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN)
2. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
3. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE)
4. Sen. James Webb (D-VA)

Way to hold the administration accountable there, gentlemen. No wonder everyone thinks politicians are all talk and never mean a goddamn word they say. Remember, this is an issue where 2/3 of the American public is against the escalation. It's practically political suicide not to support it.

Obama, who as we just noted was one of the votes for the Dodd bill, has one of his own (you are perfectly entitled to vote against the war in many different ways). He says:

That is why I not only favor capping the number U.S. troops in Iraq, but believe it’s imperative that we begin the phased redeployment I called for two months ago, and intend to introduce legislation that does just that.

Add to that his call for universal healthcare, and my support for him is certainly on the way up, though I'd feel better if he made a specific healthcare proposal with actual numbers and shit.

Edwards may or may not have made a mistake with respect to Iran. Here's the key quote:

Although Edwards has criticized the war in Iraq, and has urged bringing the troops home, the former senator firmly declared that "all options must remain on the table," in regards to dealing with Iran, whose nuclear ambition "threatens the security of Israel and the entire world."

"Let me be clear: Under no circumstances can Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons," Edwards said.

If this is so much bluster to keep all options open as a philosophical point, so be it. What matters isn't so much what we threaten to do long down the road, but what we do in the near future. It should be to negotiate, and then negotiate more, and then to keep negotiating. Edwards might mean to do just that, but I wish he, or some other candidate for the US's highest office, would come out and say it. How hard is it to say that negotiation is preferable to a war with several thousand more casualties. Seriously, our politicians really, REALLY need to stop swinging their genitalia at foreign nations and to start proposing to act like adults. Until then, none of them are getting dessert (read: campaign contributions).

The complete song lyrics to the ditty in the post title, BTW:

Hollow Man, by Mark Erelli

They picked another one off the vine
Scooped out the seeds in the back of his mind
Filled up his head with half-truths and lies
And put the finishing touch on the perfect disguise

They rolled out a carpet and threw a parade
Convinced everyone he had something to say
They smiled as they watched from the two-way mirror
As he told all the people what they wanted to hear

(Chorus)
Hey, have you heard the story?
It's the same old song, same old dance
Hey, he's bound for glory
He ain't nothing but a hollow man

He basked in the glow of the fortune and fame
Even threw the first pitch at the World Series game
He always maintained he had nothing to hide
No one ever suspected he was empty inside

(Chorus)
Hey, he don't know what he's doing
They set him up so high, he never had a chance
Hey, you can see right through him
He ain't nothing but a hollow man

Then came the day his cover was blown
Their little Frankenstein monster got out of control
So he looked to the ones who had saved him before
Only to find that they'd changed all the locks on the doors

The press circled in with blood in their eyes
Each one wanting a piece of his shallow disguise
And they cast him aside when from glory he fell
Now he's just another bum with a story to tell

(Chorus)
Hey, he's less than zero
The greater the height, the harder you land
Ain't it hard when you find your hero
Ain't nothing but a hollow man