Editorial

With the elections less than a month away and a possible war
with Iraq looming in the near future, some politicians have begun
aligning their policy decisions with public opinion polls rather
than sound judgment.

One such politician is Congressman Henry Waxman, a Democrat who
represents the district where UCLA is located. Unfortunately for
students at the university, Waxman’s campaign manager says
the congressman “has no plans for higher education or student
issues.”

Granted most issues relevant to the University of California are
dealt with by the state, there are some “student
issues” worth his consideration nonetheless ““ the cuts
in federal financial aid, for example.

It’s not surprising Waxman does not want to advocate
higher education issues, even if one of the largest universities in
the country sits on his district. After all, he recently sided with
Republicans and a host of Democrats to give Bush license to go to
war with Iraq. In the process, he helped forfeit Congress’
role as the sole agent that can declare war on another country by
implicitly handing this right over to Bush.

Waxman was not the only Democrat to sign over his congressional
responsibilities, though. California Senator Dianne Feinstein,
following in the steps of the politically-waffling California
governor, Gray Davis, did too.

And so did a host of Democrats seeking presidential candidacy in
2004: Representative Dick Gephardt of Montana, Senator Tom Daschle
of South Dakota, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Senator
John Kerry of Massachusetts also supported Bush under the argument
that the United States needs to “speak with one
voice.”

It seems this is the case even when the United States is
wrong.

Most of the world’s leaders, with the exception of Britain
and the United States itself, have not fully sided with Bush and
his war efforts because of his lack of evidence against Iraq. Since
Bush had already made clear his disrespect for world order by
saying he will attack Iraq with or without the support of the
United Nations, the only real institution in the world that could
control his actions is Congress.

By helping take Congress off Bush’s back, Waxman took his
constituents’ voice out of the democratic process as well.
The primary means UCLA students and other people in this Democratic
district have of getting their stance heard on the imminent war is
through their congressman ““ but Waxman opted to jump on the
bandwagon and give Bush unchecked power anyway.

Why does this man represent UCLA if he doesn’t care about
“student issues” or that we have a voice through
Congress to keep Bush accountable?

Waxman, Feinstein and other Democrats are allowed to have their
own opinion on whether Iraq should suffer military pillage, but
they cannot let their own opinions trump a
constitutionally-outlined process. The sanctity of the Constitution
outweighs any individual’s opinion. Waxman, like every other
Democrat that stopped demanding evidence from Bush showing Iraq as
an immediate threat, does not deserve re-election to the office he
holds.

Evidently the only real Democrats in California ““ in every
sense of the word ““ are Senator Barbara Boxer and the other
California representatives who voted against Bush on Iraq.