CA-GOV: It Is Leadership

Randy Bayne at GovernorPhil is absolutely right about Phil Angelides' plan to get CA National Guard troops home from Iraq:

True, the Governor is powerless to actually bring home our California troops*, but he can ask, and he can challenge the President on the issue. It is this challenge that shows true leadership and a willingness to stand up for California. As he has done since the beginning, Angelides continues to spotlight Schwarzengger's support for George Bush and his destructive policies.

Angelides told the Bee that he will immediately upon election, "put in a formal request to President Bush to return our Guard units to California." He then plans to work with other governors "so that the National Guard can be used once again for its intended purposes, not to prop up the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld failed war policy."

Like a true leader, Angelides plans to enlist the help of Congress and use the courts if necessary to "return our guardsmen and women to California."

Iraq is the central issue of the 2006 election. This election is the last chance the American people have to weigh in on Bush's Iraq policy. Ignoring Iraq, no matter what the office, is ignoring the elephant in the room. Angelides gains pretty much no political points by addressing the Iraq issue. It opens him up to all kinds of criticism, like "does he think he's running for Governor or President" and things like that. Therefore, you must surmise that he's talking about Iraq because he truly believes that the war is a disaster and that he had to speak out, stand up to the Administration, and try to figure out a way to safeguard at least the citizens of California from this policy.

In fact, many of Angelides' stands appear to be out of principle. Why else would he came out in favor of Prop. 89 when the California Democratic Party wanted no part of it? Why else would he support the concept of universal healthcare, unlike his opponent?

Angelides has an uphill battle to fight, without the money to run ads until late in the cycle, the megaphone necessary to get attention or the campaign team that seems to know how to do it. But this Iraq stand cut through the clutter a bit. And I think that, while having trouble as a candidate, he'd make a great governor, more committed to the welfare of all Californians than any candidate in 30 years. That's why I'm on his side.

* - Is he completely powerless? There have been cases in the past of federalizing National Guard troops against gubenatorial wishes. But would Angelides be able to fight this in court by claiming a state emergency? I mean, Ventura County is in a state of emergency over a wildfire right now. IANAL, but it seems to me this could actually slow down the process, and more importantly, spark a national debate over how to best use National Guard troops. This was a debate in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but it's fallen off the radar now. It should be in the spotlight. Why, if this is a clash of civilizations as the President says, are we fighting it with weekend warriors instead of trained professionals? And why are we harming our homeland security by sending emergency personnel overseas?