On Quagmire, “Fragmire” And “Legismire”

If a quagmire is a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position what is a “fragmire” ?A “fragmire” is a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position in the midst of a fragmented, tribal society a.k.a.. Iraq. Which is worse? FRAGMIRE! What is a “legismire”? A “legismire” is a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position held by the majority in the Congress i.e. the Democratic Party. The Democrats would like to get us out of the “fragmire” but the quagmire which is the current Congress creates a predicament which makes any meaningful legislation difficult. If the legislation is meaningful then Joe Lieberman may bolt to the Republicans and there goes the razor thin Senate majority. If legislation is more than a token disapproval of the Iraq “fragmire”, the Democrats risk the label of traitors. If legislation calls for stringent energy conservation measures, the oil lobby and Detroit stand poised to spend millions to dilute the proposals. If attempts are made for healthcare reform legislation, the insurance lobbyists will overwhelm Congress with all kinds of slight of hand proposals. If education reform and social services reform are proposed, the religious right is right there ready to undermine what is left of the separation of church and state. Thus the “legismire”.Should the Democratic majority play it safe? Hopefully they will summon the courage to extricate themselves from the quagmire by aggressively forcing a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, by passing a resolution calling for the division of Iraq into homogeneous religious and tribal states, by passing legislation forcing energy conservation, by backing away from faith based initiatives and sending the religious right packing, and by funding a War On Global Warming.

The road to meeting these objectives is treacherous . I’m sure that any political strategist in his right mind would advise a detour. It is not an overnight trip but it is one which must be undertaken. The future of the country depends on traveling the road to peace and solving domestic and climate issues. Along the way the Democratic Party must find a "Driver" who will navigate that road all the way to the finish line - November, 2008. Waiting for that "Driver" is like waiting for the Messiah but one must have faith - he or she will come forth!