Lawmakers charge White House with stifling anti-war dissent

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A small but increasingly vocal contingent of Democratic lawmakers opposed to the US-led invasion of Iraq (news - web sites) accused the White House of stifling dissent by those who oppose the war.

"What we're beginning to see is a concerted attempt to attack anyone who dissents," Congressman Sam Farr said at a press conference called Thursday by a handful of Democratic politicians who feel that the war against Iraq is misguided.

Even among legislators in the Republican party, "there are consequences to pay if you don't go all with the administration's leadership," Farr said, arguing that Republicans who voted against the White House budget proposals have been threatened with the loss of coveted committee seats.

The California congressman added that he saw a certain irony in the alleged White House pressure tactics, noting "our troops are fighting for (Iraq) to be able to have freedom of speech."

Another Democrat, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, said alleged efforts by US leaders to hush the voices of dissenters extend even to other countries traditionally allied with Washington, citing in particular Mexico and Canada.

"I think we are making a very dramatic mistake to isolate longstanding allies on the basis of their sovereign decisions not to proceed in a coalition on the war in Iraq," she said.

With respect to street demonstrations in this country, Jackson Lee said: "We are doing a great disservice by maligning and disrespecting and accusing protesters of being filled with communist ideas."

Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who has said he will run for the White House in 2004, organized the press conference, is a longstanding opponent to the war which he described to reporters as "unjustified."

CHICKENHAWK DATABASE

Dick Gephardt was in the Missouri National Guard. I suppose that makes him a Chickenhawk, right?

Al Gore is a Chickenhawk as well. It was just a five-month camping trip for him. He was kept out of harm's way by his bodyguards, and never heard a shot fired in anger.

Tom Daschle is a Chickenhawk as well. He was a staff officer for the Strategic Air Command. He never went to Vietnam, and never heard a shot fired in anger.

Patrick Leahy is a Chickenhawk too. No military service. Not even the Vermont National Guard. He was a state's attorney in Chittenden County, Vermont during the war, and never heard a shot fired in anger.

Dick Durbin is a Chickenhawk. No military service. Not even the Illinois National Guard. He was an attorney in Illinois during the war, and never heard a shot fired in anger.

Russ Feingold is a Chickenhawk. No military service. Not even the Wisconsin National Guard. He was living in Wisconsin during the war. He turned 18 in 1971 and somehow avoided the draft. He never heard a shot fired in anger.

Dennis Kucinich is a Chickenhawk. No military service. Not even the Ohio National Guard. He was living in Ohio during the war. He turned 18 in 1964 and somehow avoided the draft. He never heard a shot fired in anger.

Jim McDermott is a Chickenhawk. He could have served courageously in the Navy hospital I helped to build, east of Da Nang. He could have treated wounded Marines. His services as a physician were needed. He could have saved lives.

Instead, he never left the United States. He spent his brief enlistment at Long Beach Naval Station as the chief psychiatrist, and never heard a shot fired in anger.

In fact, the number of Democrats in Congress and in the Clinton Administration who were actually in combat -- or at least in support services that were vital to our combat troops, and could have put them in harm's way -- is quite small.

When I was over there, I met a few Navy nurses when I was receiving medical treatment.

Nancy Pelosi could have been one of those Navy nurses. So could Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray, Dianne Feinstein, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Maxine Waters, Tammy Baldwin, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Patsy Mink, Maria Cantwell, Barbara Mikulski or Deborah Stabenow.

But they weren't. Not one Democratic woman in Congress or in the Clinton Administration ever served a day in the military.

Absolutely none of these Democrats voted against the resolution authorizing military action in Afghanistan. Almost all of them voted in favor of the resolution authorizing GW Bush to take military action in Iraq. Almost all of them also supported Bill Clinton's military deployments in Bosnia and Somalia.

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