Wow, have we come a long way or what? The resolutuon against the war in Iraq passed on the floor just moments ago. The convention avoided a bitter debate after the Executive Council and the Resolutions Committee agreed to strengthen the proposed resolution: by replacing the wording around bringing the troops home in the second paragraph from “as quickly as possible” to “rapidly.”

The wording “as quickly as possible” was unacceptable to the many people who had come to fight hard for a strong anti-war resolution. After all, George Bush keep repeating that line that he’ll bring the troops home as quickly as possible. While “rapidly” is not as strong as “right now,” it’s the best language that was likely to pass.

Moreover, for anyone that remembers past debates about foreign policy–going back to the Vietnam War–the adopted language is a strong rebuke for the war, and gives labor activists all across the country to blessing and political cover to actively engage in opposition to the war.