Pro-War Dems Challenged by Wackier Dems

The crack-up on the left continues with wacky anti-war lefties deciding to challenge established Dem incumbents because they voted for the war.

When Los Angeles teacher Marcy Winograd saw her Democratic representative in Congress making excuses for George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping program on NBC's Meet the Press in February, she decided that someone had to challenge Jane Harman's acquiescence in Bush's reckless agenda. So Winograd, a veteran activist who had been instrumental in getting the California Democratic Party to take a firm stand against the war in Iraq, leapt into the June 6 primary. She quickly found that others shared her frustration with Harman; Winograd's been endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America, Southern California Americans for Democratic Action, the Western Region of the United Auto Workers union and a half-dozen presidents of local Democratic clubs. Recently her supporters blocked an early Harman endorsement by the state party after Winograd told a caucus: "When elected, I will have the courage to cut funding for the war in Iraq, to say no when the imperial George Bush wants to wiretap your home without a warrant and to immediately sign on to legislation for universal single-payer national healthcare."

Winograd is one of a growing number of challengers to Democratic House and Senate incumbents accused of being too supportive of the war in particular, and of the Bush Administration in general. Not since the early 1970s, when anti-Vietnam War insurgents like Ron Dellums in California, Father Robert Drinan in Massachusetts and Elizabeth Holtzman in New York defeated entrenched Democrats in primaries, has there been such ferment over foreign policy within the ranks of the party.

The GOP should secretly support these lefty candidates, because that's as good a way as any to retain the GOP majority in Congress. Candidates like Winograd are so far out of the mainstream, and so dangerous to the security of the country, campaigning against them would be a walk in the park. If nothing else, they could turn safe Dem districts into districts in which the Dems will have to put resources to save their seats.

The new Dem campaign promise - a Cindy Sheehan in every race!

UPDATE: Here's another angry Dem who's had it with the pro-war Dems. Keep it coming, boys.