Doing things right or doing the right thing?

I'm struggling over the past month. Listening to the high volume of noise from our representatives in Washington, I find myself less than satisfied that the Democratic majority in Congress is willing or even imagining how to do things differently. I applaud the concept of a more inclusive congressional process but have the sense that it is more talk than action. It is not an 'efficient' process to let participants bring their ideas to the floor of the House and Senate, but it is the only way that the public can get a chance to weigh the pros and cons of different ideas. I am disappointed that "my" party has invested so much in the symbolic vote opposing the President's troop surge and so little in demonstrating thoughtful positions. If I understand correctly, and Lord know I'm not able to keep up with the vast stream of data that washes over us, the bipartisan commission on the War in Iraq suggested that a temporary increase of forces might be a precursor to a longer term decrease. If that is true, the unified chant of voices against the Bush force increase doesn't seem thoughtful, it seems 'anti-Bush'. If we are no more than that, we're not going to convince the people that we have ideas and substance. Maybe I missed something here.

Meanwhile. People in Iraq are dying daily. Including our troops. As a country we need a long range plan that involves doing the right thing, and not just doing the things we're doing right.