Posted on 06/17/2005 12:10:49 AM PDT by Destro
'Freedom fries' politician calls for Iraq pullout
17 June 2005
WASHINGTON: North Carolina Republican representative Walter Jones, who previously had pushed for french fries to be renamed "freedom fries", backed a congressional resolution today calling for a US troop withdrawal from Iraq in a reflection of growing American unease, but the White House and the Pentagon rejected the idea.
The resolution, also backed by Hawaii Democratic representative Neil Abercrombie, calls for the Bush administration to develop a plan by the end of this year to pull out all American troops from Iraq and to begin the withdrawal by October 1, 2006.
Jones said US forces had removed Saddam Hussein, given Iraqis a chance at democracy and were training their military.
"After they're trained, what else should the goals be? Do we want to be there for 20 years or 30 years?" he said.
In 2002, Jones voted for the resolution that gave Bush the authority to launch an invasion of Iraq. He also wanted the House cafeteria to rename french fries "freedom fries," as a snub to France because of its opposition to the war.
Today's resolution on Iraq withdrawal was introduced in the House of Representatives as White House aides said President George W Bush plans a more determined effort to defend the Iraq war amid growing public doubts.
Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said setting a withdrawal date would send the wrong message to Iraqi insurgents.
"This message would say to the terrorists: 'All you have to do is wait until that day when our troops leave and then you can start carrying out those attacks and just hold out.'" he said.
The resolution is not expected to get far in the Republican-led Congress, which, though critical of aspects of the war, has supported the president's efforts.
About two-dozen House Democrats held their own hearing on a British government memo that says that by July 2002 US intelligence was being "fixed" around a policy that would inevitably lead to war with Iraq. US-led forces invaded Iraq in March 2003.
"If these disclosures are true. . . they establish a prima facie case of going to war under false pretenses," said representative John Conyers of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the House judiciary committee who led the forum.
Conyers showed up at the gates of the White House with several other members of Congress to deliver the signatures of 122 congressional Democrats and 560,000 citizens on petitions seeking a response on the memo.
"We want an answer to our letter and if we have to send him 1 million signatures or 10 million, we're going to keep collecting them," said Conyers, who asked to deliver the bundles of documents in person but was told instead by White House staff members to pass them through the gate.
Dozens of protesters shouted "Let Conyers in" as they carried signs that said "Bushame on you. You lied, they died."
THE PENTAGON AND THE PUBLIC
At the Pentagon, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Conway, director of operations for the military's Joint Staff, also did not support any deadline and expressed disappointment over opinion polls showing waning American support for the US presence in Iraq.
Bush is facing some of the most pessimistic views on Iraq since launching the war two years ago. A poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press said this week that American support for an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is inching up – from 36 per cent last October, to 42 per cent in February, and 46 per cent now.
Bush will play host to Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari at the White House on June 24 and will deliver a speech about Iraq on June 28 to mark the first anniversary since the transfer of sovereignty from a US-led coalition to Iraqis.
The Bush administration has offered a conflicting picture of events in Iraq.
Vice President Dick Cheney boldly asserted recently that the Iraqi insurgency, which is killing dozens of people daily with brazen suicide attacks, was in its "last throes." Bush has offered a more sober picture while stressing progress is being made.
Jones voted for the October 2002 congressional resolution that gave Bush the authority to launch the invasion of Iraq the following March.
May I play Devil's Advocate? Why would it say that? Why would it not say to the terrorists - "We trust freed Iraqis to fight for their future freedom and to help us in the war on terror as we helped liberate them"?
I think currently the Iraqi military outside of the excellent Kurdish peshmergas - best light infantry in the region (who sadly are not used for political reasons) are not ready to fight. But when will they be ready is a good question to ask, no?
Lastly, are we in Iraq for good? I don't mean in terms of occupation but is it a policy that our leaders want to keep permanent bases in Iraq but don't want to admit it openly (just yet)?
My Prediciton is eventually there will an American Militaary base over there so big you will be able to see it from space with the naked eye!
Must have been "waffle" fries!
I can't believe they are that bleeping stupid
I can.
I HATE STUPID PEOPLE!!
/ rant >
"I can't believe they are that bleeping stupid"
Believe it.
I know .. I suppose I'm trying to hope they aren't that stupid and maybe .. just maybe they learned something from History
The last time we pulled out of a war early .. over 2 million people were murdered
I don't know about for good
But here's a hint .. we didn't leave Europe
Jones got 71% of the vote in 2004, so I can assume this is a pretty safe district, so I should hope this guy gets primaried next time around.
Good point. So we are never leaving I guess and the politicos won't tell it to our face - they wink at us and treat us like childern. I feel sorry for future soldiers deployed to Iraq when it is pacified if ever - at least in Europe and Japan there is some off base RR that soldiers can enjoy. Where can a GI go for beer in Iraq?
Or maybe he is a good politician and knows what his district wants? Or maybe he is has convictions and does what we say we want politicians to do - lead and take a stand and not follow?
Maybe that's true, but it hasn't been my experience that the words "good" and "politician" fit well together in the same sentence.
I'm beginning to think that is exactly what they want.
We're still in Germany and Japan, aren't we?
Want to or not, we will.
Who else is going to protect our property - that is, the petroleum - against the 15th century savages of the Middle East?
American politicians and the average American citizen both live in a comical circle of unreality.
It's our oil, and we'll be here for the next 30 years, minimum.
I'm not joking.
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