Chad Shue, who writes "The Left Shue" and with whom I disagree on, well, pretty much everything, reports on Maria Cantwell's appearance at the Snohomish County Democrats annual picnic.

The money quote is:

"(Cantwell) seemed very comfortable (to point of passionate) about the call to "change course" and pulling the troops out of Iraq. I can't say that I was expecting any particulars on how we "stand up the Iraqis" but that is not necessarily for her to say."

I think it's very important for the good Senator to specify what changing course means, aside from pulling US troops out of Iraq. She need not formulate the plan herself -- she could say she supports so-and-so's plan.

The voters should know what it is that she supports, not just that she doesn't support the President. In the current political climate, I take it for granted that a Democrat running for office doesn't support the President's policies. But just what is it she does support?

Of course, for me personally, because I believe in the party system, I will not be voting for Senator Cantwell. But if I were an independent, I'd want to know the specifics. Is she suggesting we just withdraw and let the Iraqis sort out their own problems, either immediately or on a specific future date? Or does she want to leave some kind of American presence to help stabilize Iraq until the government accomplishes certain tasks? If so, what are those tasks?

These are important questions, and just saying that you want to change course may be insufficient to win votes.