Left I on the News

Everybody's talking about the great performance by former Senator Mike Gravel at the Democratic debates (which I just watched tonight). He said quite a few things that needed to be said, but this was the best:

"You hear the statement, 'the soldiers will have died in vain.' The entire deaths of Vietnam died in vain. You know what’s worse than a soldier dying in vain? More soldiers dying in vain."

Will I be supporting him? Not bloody likely. Consider, for example, this quote:

"I’ve got to tell you, if I’m President of the United States, there will be no preemptive wars with nuclear devices."

Couldn't bring himself to say "no preemptive wars period," could he? Anyway, his chances are less than those of Dennis Kucinich, and both, despite their own good intentions, are only going to siphon the energies of antiwar activists into an unproductive area, and from there to endorsing the "anybody but some really bad guy" Democrat, who will be for withdrawal. You know, someday. Of some troops.

But it was a great performance. :-)