More on Rep. Gutknecht's apparent about-face on Iraq

by Leigh Pomeroy

Some time ago, Rep. Walter B. Jones, one of the most conservative members of the House and author of the infamous "Freedom Fries" resolution, split with hs fellow Republicans and declared that the U.S. needs to withdraw from Iraq... now.

You don't see the right-wing bloggers, pundits, papers and Bushneyites — that's Bush + (Che)ney + -ites — hammering on him. Instead, they reserve their wrath for Rep. John Murtha, a Democrat, veteran and former war supporter, who has advocated the same policy.

Now there is a growing number of Republicans abandoning the USS Bushneyfeld — Bush + (Che)ney + (Rums)feld — like rats abandoning the proverbial sinking ship. One of these appears to be Rep. Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota who has been, like Jones once was, a solid Bush war supporter.

Whether Gutknecht decided to change his tune before or after his recent weekend trip to Iraq is known only to him and his inner policy sanctum. Regardless, his backing away from fully supporting the President has made waves in the national media.

This is of no major consequence to the vast majority of the U.S. as most folks could give a rip about what a heretofore relatively unknown six-term congressman from Minnesota thinks or does. But it matters a lot to the voters and taxpayers in his district who are a particularly ornery, independent lot.

Prior to Gutknecht their congressman was Tim Penny, a young, conservative Democrat, whom they dearly loved and who would still be in Congress today had he not decided to quit after six terms to bring his family back home to Waseca, Minnesota. It is ironic that Penny, a true anti-establishmentarian and perhaps as close to anyone to what I imagine our Founding Fathers were, is no longer in office. Like those Founding Fathers, Penny viewed (and still views) time in Congress not as a career but as a service, and government as a functionary of the people, not of powerful interests.

What Mr. Gutknecht is striving for by changing his tune on Iraq is anyone's guess. Is he trying to distance himself from Bush? Is he trying to segue more to the middle, especially since he is being challenged by a 24-year National Guard veteran who has openly criticized the war? If so, he is several years too late. The damage has already been done. Too many people have been killed. Too many more have been injured. Too much has been destroyed. Too many dollars have been spent drilling a dry hole.

Mr. Gutknecht must feel like an investor in one of Mr. Bush's numerous pre-presidential, pre-gubernatorial oil exploration companies. Only this time President Bush's daddy and his friends can't easily bail the younger Bush out.

Rep. Gutknecht would have done well to follow Rep. Jones's lead several months ago. He chose not to. By following Jones's example now is good, but it smacks of too little, too late.

We need leaders in Congress, not followers. Rep. Gutknecht is neither a Penny nor a Jones. Instead, he is like so many others in Congress today — both Republican and Democrat — who are political opportunists. Because this is all too often the status quo, he cannot be blamed. But because this country is the United States of America, the longest-lived democracy on the face of the earth, we should expect — even demand — more.

For more on the Minnesota 1st Congressional District race, see:

• "Gutknecht 'goes wobbly,' cuts and runs on Iraq"
  
• "The fight in the 1st District"
• "National Guard Vet Seeks Minn. House Seat"
• "Republican Congressman Says It's Time To Start Withdrawing From Iraq; Says Info From Pentagon 'Isn't Always True'"
• "Some in GOP shift stances on Iraq"
• "GOP lawmakers shift tone on Iraq"
• "GOP Iraq message shifts"
• "National Guard veteran has a fighting chance against Gutknecht"
• "Give victory a chance!! No, uh, lets start to pull out"
• "Subtle and calculated shift on Iraq"