Here's what we do.

[Pab Sungenis]

We've watched our party leaders knuckle under and capitulate this week. We can't let this stand.

Here's how we take our party and our nation back.

(1) VOTE DEMOCRATIC ON NOVEMBER 7, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR STANCE.

If we let the Republicans maintain control, we can only expect things to get worse. I don't care that Bob Menendez, Sherrod Brown, or any other Democrat voted to legalize torture -- at least not for now. I don't care that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid abandoned those of us who want to see Bush and Cheney held accountable for their crimes -- for now. WE NEED THEM IN OFFICE BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE REPUBLICANS KEEP CONTROL.

(2) WHEN WE GET CONTROL, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.

Support Jack Murtha after November 7th...not for Majority Leader, but for Speaker. Contact your Democratic congresscritter, especially if they're newly elected, and get them to put Fightin' Jack in the Speaker's chair. Take Pelosi "off the table." Do the same thing in the Senate; get your Democratic Senator to support Russ Feingold for Majority Leader, and take Harry Reid off the table.

Then convince Murtha and Feingold to keep the Pro-War, Pro-Torture Democrats out of positions of power and influence. Start building organizations in their states and districts, and oppose them in the next primary. Lamont proved you can do it, and we need to do it more often.

(3) TAKE BACK THE PARTY AT THE ROOTS.

At the grassroots, on the local and county level. Every committee seat in the party is up for election some time between January 2007 and June 2008. Find out if your local committee elections are at next year's primary, or the following. If it's next year, find out what you need to do to get your name on the ballot. I got elected to the County Committee in 2002 with one vote: my own on a write-in line. Every two years since then I've only needed two signatures on my petition to keep my name on the ballot. Odds are you won't need many Democratic friends to get your name on the ballot, and won't need many votes to win a seat on the Committee, where you can start pushing for change.

I WANT TO SEE EVERY PERSON HERE ON DU, OR AT LEAST ONE PERSON FROM EACH DISTRICT, RUN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE AT THE NEXT ELECTION. With enough DU reformers, we can really change the party from the ground up, and prevent travesties like this week.

There. That's what we do. I know we're all angry, frustrated, and sick tonight. But let's channel that anger and get something done.