"Bad timing" for pursuing diplomacy and peace.
Congressional liberals retract their call for peace talks.
My art is on Instagram @klonskyart.
On Monday a group of 30 Democratic congressional liberals released a letter restating their support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion but urged President Biden to engage in direct talks with Russia to find a diplomatic end to the killing.
Among the signers of the letter to Biden was my own Congress member, Jesus Chuy Garcia.
I was pleased to see that finally there were signs that there was not total agreement in the Democratic Party on the issue of war and peace.
As I said on this week’s Hitting Left with Mike Klonsky and Friends, (I was guest co-host) I have been frustrated that this election season has seen no discussion about the war and the U.S. role in its continuation and escalation.
Just measured in dollars alone some analysts estimate the U.S. commitment to Ukraine has been about $40 billion in military equipment and supplies, or $110 million a day over the last year.
I think there are better things to spend billions than on war makers.
The dollars alone aren’t even the main issue. The entire world is endangered by the threat of nuclear war.
Twenty four hours after the letter was released it was retracted.
I was not totally surprised by this cave by Democratic liberals.
“Bad timing,” Progressive Caucus head Congress woman Pramila Jayapal said.
Garcia explained that he signed the letter in June, but he said that the information is now “outdated.”
Which information? He didn’t say.
The statement was not a radical one. It opposed the Russian invasion. Most, if not all the signers, have voted billions for aid to Ukraine.
In supporting the statement I got comments calling it “appeasement” and comparing the Congressional liberals (and me) to Neville Chamberlain.
The truth is that this war will not end without negotiations and talks.
The pressure to repudiate peace talks and diplomacy must have been something.
The other truth is that in spite of the cowardly repudiation of the liberals own statement, the divisions over the war will grow as the costs and threats to world peace increase.
At least I hope so.
What do you think?
Besides Chuck, you already said in previous comments that this war is to overthrow Putin. I doubt that will ever be a bargaining point. But it does undermine anything you have to say about talks to end the war.
Who’s we?