About two months ago, while walking back to my residence hall, I heard a commotion coming from the King Memorial Commons. I thought little of the mumbled words coming over a loudspeaker, but I was curious enough to follow the sound.

I came upon a crowd of maybe 15 people, watching a boy scream into a microphone about how the U.S. government would never leave Iraq. “I can’t remember the last time we pulled out of anywhere,â€? he yelled to the crowd. Of course, he gave no regard to the fact that America always eventually pulls out of occupied countries. He thought nothing of Vietnam, Kuwait, Kosovo or Grenada. There were obvious problems with each of those conflicts, but he wasn’t asking the right questions.

I walked away, discouraged.

I’m no fan of the Iraq war, the Bush administration or many conservative philosophies. But as a liberal, nothing is harder for me to watch than other liberals giving the ideology a bad name. This has become a huge problem among students and the older set alike, and it hurts the national conception of liberalism.

Liberal has become a dirty word in American politics. Nobody wants the label. John Kerry, who forged his political career when he addressed Congress for the liberal organization Veterans for Peace, spent his entire campaign trying to deny President Bush’s accurate (but not truly negative) accusation that he was a “Massachusetts Liberal.â€? Kerry’s ramblings may very well have cost him the 2004 presidential election. He fell in line with the arbitrary idea that being a liberal is political suicide.

Senator Kerry’s reticence is understandable, as the liberal political movement has been glaringly poorly represented lately. Ever since the under-regardedly moderate President Clinton left office, the Democratic Party (the presentable face of liberalism) has moved toward two ridiculous poles. Many “liberalâ€? politicians, fighting to save their hide in what they view as an ideologically conservative nation, have shifted blindly to the right. They hope to sway voters this way.

The other side has taken even worse action, by blindly attacking the conservative Republican party and making foolish demands. Many grassroots progressives demand the impeachment of George W. Bush, although he has been charged with no crime that would warrant such action.

Of course, this is not to say that there are no thoughtful liberals. Illinois’ own Senator Barack Obama has emerged as a face for rational, moderate liberalism. His call at the 2004 Democratic Convention for a “purple Americaâ€? (a nation without the bitter party divide of red states and blue states) speaks to a future of political cooperation.

Being the minority party in both houses of Congress, the liberal Democrats are in a difficult position. They must work to forward their agendas, which will likely be opposed by the other party, while still voicing dissent. Civilian liberals have a similar job. Instead of merely complaining that poor decisions are being made on Capitol Hill, we should be offering better options.

For instance, instead of slapping bumper stickers that say “Legalize itâ€? on the backs of our cars, we could cite the hundreds of terminally-ill cancer patients whose pain can be eased only by medical marijuana. Instead of reveling in president Bush’s low approval rating, we could begin to look for sound, moderate Democratic candidates for the 2008 presidential election (if you are interested, look into Mark Warner, the former Governor of Virginia). Complaining only goes so far toward progress. We only help our cause by reaching to the other political side and making compromises.

The day after the rally I witnessed, the Northern Star reported that the protestors marched to the Army recruiting office and vandalized it. It was probably easier than sitting down and having a conversation with the Army officers. It was probably easier to tear down signs than it would be to ask why the Army sent our boys over there or when the Army thinks they’re coming back. It was probably easier to not have a discussion about the war. But are the soldiers any closer to getting home now than they were before?

It is time to open discussion between ideologies. I invite students, faculty and anyone else to write to the Star with a counterpoint to this column. Please think rationally, and then please make your voices heard.