'Exit Strategy' Is More Than a Whisper in Washington, With Lawmakers Speaking Out (Barf Alert)

New York Slime ^ | June 16, 2005 | Sheryl Gay Stolberg

[jmc1969]

WASHINGTON, June 15 - Celeste Zappala, whose son died in Iraq, visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday to demand "a very quick exit strategy." Her timing was perfect.

With opinion polls showing a drop in support for the war, and a British memo asserting that the Bush administration had intended to go to war as early as the summer of 2002, the words "exit strategy" are being uttered by both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

The flurry began over the weekend, when Representative Walter B. Jones of North Carolina, a conservative Republican, called for the Bush administration to set specific goals for leaving Iraq. That came from the man who was once so upset about French opposition to the war that he insisted that House cafeterias change the name "French fries" to "freedom fries."

But it does not end there.

On Thursday, Representative John Conyers Jr., a Michigan Democrat, will convene a forum on the so-called Downing Street Memo, a leaked document that appeared to suggest the White House had made a decision to go to war in the summer of 2002. Next week, Representative Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois Democrat, is planning to read on the House floor the names of approximately 1,700 Americans who have died in the war.

Though most Republicans are steering clear of the exit strategy discussion, a handful are joining in. One, Representative Ron Paul of Texas, a longtime opponent of the war, has signed onto Mr. Jones's resolution and will join him in meeting reporters on Thursday. Another, Representative Howard Coble of North Carolina, is considering it.

[jmc1969]

We do need to do something, but that something is change what we are doing in Iraq, not surrender like these morons want. The biggest thing we have been doing wrong is that we have continued to allow our troops to be sitting ducks in the patrols they do. The vast vast majority of US deaths this month have been from IEDs.

What we need to do is get US soldiers out of their vehicles where they drive around patrolling to cover the most distance as possible and become easy targets. A Medal of Honor winner who also is a contributer to NBC who went to Iraq said that he couldn't for the life of him figure out why the military was doing it. In Vietnam they did mostly on the ground operations that went out for weeks and got intel and that would be alot alot safer and more effective riding around patrolling the streets in humvees.

[Congressman Billybob]

The American "exit strategy" as shown in World War II is: Win the war. Straighten out the mess. Bring the soldiers home.

The anti-American "exit strategy" as being pushed by the New York Times is: Get out before we win. Let the pre-war mess return. Complain about the consequences until Democrats get elected.

Did I miss anything?

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Gitmo In, Gitmo Out?"

[prairiebreeze]

Here's an idea for an exit strategy:

VICTORY!

How's that work for everybody? Seems quite a good plan I'd say.

[bobdsmith]

lol best exit strategy ever

worked in ww2!

[wingnut1971]

What about an exit strategy for the 'war on poverty'? It's been 40+ years and trillions of dollars with no discernable results.

[SMARTY]

"Though most Republicans are steering clear of the exit strategy discussion, a handful are joining in."

Is that the same crowd who said the Iraqis wanted coalition support? Someone ought to ask the Iraqis about their continued need for help. That's where the REAL issue is. By the way, ask them if they want or NEED UN assistance in the place of coalition support. Because, I am sure the clowns who want the US out of Iraq, want the UN in. NOW? NOW?...when UN integrity and efficiency are challenged across the globe....NOW you want the UN to step in, in the place of effective and transparent coalition leadership in support of Iraq???? I don't understand this compulsive need to derail the obvious success of a costly and still effective strategy against terrorists. This behavior on the part of Liberals has always marked them in their 'foreign policy' agenda for the US. If they cannot captain the ship, they must always foul the rigging. Unfortunately, their current challenge to successes in Iraq and Afghanistan is sufficiently unfocused and generic to attract supporters to their cause who NEVER understood or agreed with our efforts against terrorism in the first place. Too bad!

[varon]

What about an exit strategy for the 'war on poverty'? It's been 40+ years and trillions of dollars with no discernable results.

Let's not forget the never ending and laughable war on drugs.