Democrat Jim McDermott - the famously-liberal 7th District U.S. Representative from Washington state - is obviously pleased that Democrats trounced so many federal-level Republicans in the last election. "I think the world took its first deep breath and sighed," he added.
But the Congressman believes there were other reasons besides the war in Iraq that Democrats scored such a decisive victory. That's not to say the war wasn't an important factor; it was, according to McDermott, a longtime Queen Anne resident who represents Vashon Island and most of Seattle.
"It's no question it was the issue," he said of the war. But Democrats also set out to make the election a referendum on Pres. Bush's policies that include, among other things, the gutting of environmental regulations and a botched FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina, the longtime Congressman said.
'No adults running the country'
"We looked like a Third World country," McDermott said of post-hurricane New Orleans, many parts of which are still devastated. "There clearly were no adults running the country."
FEMA did such a poor job, he went on to say, that if the Alaskan Way Viaduct fell down today, the federal agency wouldn't be the first one contacted for help.
The role of government is to protect people. McDermott said. "If you step back from that, all sorts of crap happens," he added, mentioning denial of global warming as a prime example.
"In some ways, it was the perfect storm," he said of the election. Bush even helped Democrats by going out on the campaign trail and championing the Iraq war, which now has lasted longer than America's involvement with World War II, McDermott said.
But Bush promoting the war only drew attention to a problem that seems to be growing worse every day, he said. "October was the most deadly month in several years," the Congressman noted.
And many of his nearly 700,000 constituents are wondering if the billions of dollars that have financed the Iraq war might have been better spent at home, McDermott said.
For example, he said, massive amounts of money have been earmarked for reconstruction work in Iraq under the direction of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's old company. "There hasn't been any reconstruction to speak of."
Unchecked corruption in Iraq is another issue, according to McDermott. "There's no question that the wholesale deterioration of accountability was a major part of what happened," he said. "They (Republicans) lost any sense that anybody was watching them."
That will change now that Democrats hold the upper hand in Congress, according to McDermott. "I think that oversight will be a huge part of what we do during this time period."
The oversight will also lead to the exposure of what's really been going on with health care and the banking industry, McDermott believes. "You name it, though," he said. "People have been taking advantage of the system."
War advocates turn tail
McDermott finds it interesting that all of the Beltway neocons who promoted the war are now backing off and blaming Bush for the policy failures.
And the problems are more widespread than Republicans would like to admit, according to McDermott. The Congressman said he got an important perspective when he flew to Aman, Jordan, the day after the election and talked to moderates from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. "Their view is we created the sectarian violence," McDermott said.
"Our way out of Iraq is unclear," he conceded. "The milk is spilt, but really, the problem is, how do we clean it up without making it worse?"
Although many of those he represents would like him to take the lead in impeaching Bush and Cheney, it wouldn't help, according to McDermott. "There's plenty on our plate without getting into that bruising battle," he said. "I understand vengeance, but that's not where you should be putting your energy."
House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi has nixed the idea of impeachment, anyway, but there's another reason to avoid it, McDermott said. "I'd much rather have Cheney under oath talking about Halliburton and other things."
Pres. Bush still has the ability to veto any legislation that crosses his desk, McDermott conceded. But doing so would just make the case for why a Democrat should win the 2008 presidential election, he said.
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com or 461-1309.[[In-content Ad]]
