I received this email from Senator Allen about his support of the Warner Amendment, I mentioned I was touting him for POTUS. I said I was very disappointed in his report and was having second thoughts. It may be just a form email. Thank you for contacting me regarding the Warner Amendment, S. Amendment 2518, to the Defense Authorization Bill. I appreciate your concerns and value the opportunity to respond. As you may be aware, Senators Warner and Frist sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that addresses our ongoing efforts in Iraq. By passing this amendment, the Senate reaffirmed to both Americans and Iraqis that our forces will not stay in Iraq longer than needed to complete our mission of creating a free and stable Iraq. Particularly, the amendment specifies that the Department of Defense submit a classified report to the extent practicable every three months outlining the following: · The current military mission and its progress · Iraqi political agreements and measures made to defeat the insurgency · The number of Iraqi Armed Forces, special police, and regular police to defend against the insurgency · Any specific conditions included in the April 2005 Multi-National Forces-Iraq campaign action plan and any actions taken to provide the transition of security responsibility to Iraqi forces I understand there is concern that such a measure undermines the confidence of our troops and the leadership of our President. It is important to know that the Senate’s intent was not to negate our mission, but to ensure that Congress stay well-informed of the progress being made in Iraq. Throughout the war and our continuing efforts I have remained firm in my support for the President and our troops. I believe that this measure only affirms my commitment to our soldiers and the people of Iraq. As President Bush stated “I view this as an amendment consistent with our strategy.†Congress’s bipartisan call that our troops will stay the course until the mission is complete is a confirmation of our commitment to this cause. It serves as a recognition to our troops for their hard work and sacrifice; and as a reminder to all Iraqis that we will not abandon them. I want to make it perfectly clear that this measure does not impose any artificial timetables on our President or our troops. The Senate by a vote of 58-40, with bi-partisan support, defeated a resolution offered by Senator Levin and his democratic colleagues that would have required the President and the Department of Defense to create a timetable for troop withdrawal. Instead the Warner Amendment calls for our continued efforts in 2006 to be toward full Iraqi sovereignty and for the Administration to provide reports on their progress. These progress reports are similar to those that have been approved in the last Iraq supplemental request passed by Congress and which the Department of Defense has already provided. There is every reason to be optimistic based on the progress so far. Iraq has taken a number of significant and monumental steps in their fight for freedom. The Iraqi people reaffirmed their desire for freedom to the world by holding the first open election in almost 50 years and by drafting and ratifying a national constitution establishing fundamental protections for all Iraqi citizens. Additionally, according to the Department of Defense report, Iraq has made considerable progress in infrastructure and security. Today Iraq enjoys 44 commercial TV stations, 72 commercial radio stations and over 100 independent newspapers compared to none before the war. The Iraqi Security Force (ISF) has 210,000 trained and equipped members with 120 Iraqi Police and Army battalions participating in the fight. In fact, as of September 2005, one division, five brigades, and thirty-six battalions currently have the lead in their designated area of Iraq as compared to only one division and eleven battalions a few months prior. As our mission continues and Iraq takes more of the reigns of security, please know that I am forever grateful to the families who have lost loved ones for our greater security. We shall always remember those courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. My thoughts and prayers are with the men and women in both the civilian and military services. I appreciate their character, bravery and sense of duty in these trying times. I hope you will feel free to contact me again about issues important to you. If you would like to receive an e-mail newsletter about my initiatives to improve America, please sign up on my website (). It is an honor to serve you in the United States Senate, and I look forward to working with you to make Virginia and America a better place to live, learn, work and raise a family. With warm regards, I remain Sincerely, Senator George Allen
I would have read that.
So was and am I.
I wasn't clear on what Warner's amendment was about. But knowing him(I'm still upset at what he did to Ollie North), it was probably a RINO move to make the Republican Senate look more acceptable to the anti-war crowd.
George Allen will have to do alot to recover from this IMO.