Just suck it up.

Democrats got through a major stumbling block in the platform process, crafting a statement that neither supports Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq, nor condemns every Democrat who voted in favor of the resolution that Bush distorted into an excuse for his subsequent actions. Given that both members of the Democratic ticket voted for that resolution, that shouldn't really be a surprise, but from the tone and volume of email that flooded my box, primarily from the Kucinich forces, you'd think that some other result might have been expected.

Get over it, folks. The platform is the product of a democratic process, and in the Democratic Party, the Kerry forces hold a clear upper hand. If the language about the war, and especially the timing and conditions for the withdrawal of troops seems to be closer to the Kerry postition than the Kucinich position, well, Kerry has the votes. What in the world did you expect?

Kucinich himself has been admirable in his acknowledgement that his proposals were fairly debated and is able to make the claim that his supporters did move the language to a degree. Good for him, whether you accept his claims of influence or not (and I'm happy to grant him whatever bragging rights he needs). That's how democracy works in the Democratic Party. Every side gets a hearing, and the side with the most votes wins.

There will be more soft soap to come in the platform, and some of will be happier than others. I, for instance, am a dyed in the wool single-payer health care guy. It will not be a feature of the Democratic Platform. The platform will address access to healthcare, though, and offer more to me and others who share my view than the opposition will be able to muster. And we'll keep on pushing our views until they're dominant. It takes work, it takes time, but our process makes it possible.

Speaking of the platform process, John McCreery, Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad and a member of the Best of the Blogs team, has a fine post on the subject up. As you watch the news and the convention, and find the platform more to your liking on some issues and less on others, remember why we do it in the first place.

The fact of the matter is that the Democratic Party Platform for 2004 is a 35-page compilation of resolutions that few of us will ever read. Why, then, do we bother? The answer is simple: The process by which the platform is created is an opportunity for all of the diverse interest groups that gather under the big tent to have their say and know that they are heard. It is one of the mechanisms by which the troops are rallied and given particular, personal or pocketbook stakes in the party's success or failure.

Your ideal language may not make the final cut, but we all had a chance. And we'll all have another. And that's what Democratic Party democracy is all about.