Anti-war resolution is still afloat, but listing to starboard

The story making the rounds of the Internet is probably apocryphal, which is a 50-cent way of saying that – like a lot of anonymous stuff ricocheting around cyberspace these days – there is a good possibility it may be bogus. But it sure is timely. And too good not to pass on to you.

Supposedly, Secretary of State Colin Powell was approached by an Iraqi newspaper reporter and accusingly asked, “Isn’t it true that only 13 percent of young Americans can locate Iraq on a map?” The retired Army general had a ready answer. He stopped, turned and replied, “Yes, it’s true. But, unfortunately for you, all of them are Marines.”

Great line by a great patriot. And unless you are one of those grim-faced sign-toting anti-war protesters milling about the country while hoisting your little “cliche on a stick,” in the memorable words of one recent BDN guest columnist, it’s pretty difficult to contemplate the witticism without smiling.

On the other hand, a knowing snicker seemed a more fitting reaction to a somewhat related story by BDN State House Bureau reporter A.J. Higgins on Thursday, describing how the Maine Legislature appears to be having second thoughts about its dubious resolution advising President Bush to smarten up wherein it concerns the pending showdown with Saddam Hussein.

If it comes as a surprise to you to learn that the president of the United States of America may not act without the advice and consent of the Maine Legislature, do not feel like the Lone Ranger. Like me, you must have skipped the high school civics class in which the matter was covered, lo those many years ago.

At week’s end, there were signs that the wheels may be about to fall off the controversial legislative anti-war boondoggle following the defection of one Democratic senator from the cause, a desertion that could lead to others jumping ship and restoring sanity to the State House.

By now you’ve probably heard more than you should ever want to about the resolution, sponsored by Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland. In its original incarnation it strongly warned of mass American and Iraqi casualties in a war with Iraq, expressed concern over a prolonged U.S. military presence in Iraq, as well as the taxpayer expense involved in the lashup, and urged avoidance of war in favor of diplomatic solution.

The Senate initially approved the resolution in a party-line vote on Feb. 4 – majority Democrats in favor, minority Republicans opposing. That seemed a sure tipoff that what was going down in Augusta was not so much any overwhelming concern about war as it was, on the one hand, a concerted partisan attack by Democrats on this Republican president and this administration with an eye toward the 2004 election, and, on the other hand, an equally solid partisan attempt by Republicans to thwart it and save the administration a ration of grief. Were the situation and power roles reversed, putting the shoe on the other foot, it’s not hard to imagine the parties circling the wagons in defense of the opposite position. It’s called politics as usual, and it’s not always a pretty sight to behold.

To anyone paying only casual attention, the implication of the early Senate vote may well have been that only Democrats favor peace and only Republicans support war. That made House Democrats sufficiently nervous to draft a toned-down amendment offering strong support for American troops, deleting a reference to “innocent” Iraqis, painting Saddam as a madman the equal of that little whacko who rules North Korea, and such. The Democrat-controlled House subsequently passed the amended version in a party-line vote (see politics as usual, above) and sent it back to the Senate. And so, come Tuesday, the Senate must decide whether to adhere to its original stance or go along with the more moderate House version. The defection of Democratic Sen. Peggy Pendleton of Scarborough to the “Republican” side of the dustup is pivotal, since Democrats hold the majority by a single vote in the Senate. The plot thickens.

Still, to the average Maine taxpayer wondering why the Legislature would waste its valuable time arguing a matter over which it has no control at the expense of working on vital Maine concerns demanding immediate attention, the thing is still pretty much a clunker, whatever the outcome.

Make it a choice between having the Legislature enact its anti-war resolution and guaranteeing that the Marines shall remain able to locate Iraq on a map and I’ll eat my old UMaine Black Bear baseball hat if Joe Taxpayer doesn’t opt for the latter.

NEWS columnist Kent Ward lives in Winterport. His e-mail address is olddawg@bangordailynews.net.