Posted on 06/19/2006 5:48:16 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats presented two plans for winding down U.S. involvement in Iraq on Monday, one to pull out U.S. combat forces by July 2007 and another to begin withdrawing this year without a deadline for completion.
With an election looming in November, Republicans branded the two plans as defeatist and evidence of Democratic disarray. The Senate was to debate the amendments on Tuesday in the annual defense policies bill.
"Three and a half years into the conflict, we should tell the Iraqis that the American security blanket is not permanent," said Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record) of Michigan, top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.
The House of Representatives and Senate have debated Iraq in often harsh terms this month. Republicans sought to depict Democrats as weak on terrorism, and Democrats condemned President George W. Bush's policies that they said have caused chaos in Iraq, detracted from the fight against al Qaeda and drained U.S. resources.
Levin offered a nonbinding resolution saying Bush should start withdrawing an unspecified number of U.S. forces this year and give Congress a plan for the continued withdrawal.
Levin's measure had support from most Senate Democrats, who shied away from setting a deadline for a pullout out of fear of a full-scale Iraqi civil war.
There are about 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and the conflict has caused more than 2,500 U.S. military deaths.
Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, both eyeing presidential runs, pushed an amendment requiring that U.S. combat troops be out by July 2007. That was modified from Kerry's amendment calling for withdrawal by the end of 2006, which the Senate rejected last week when Republicans forced a vote.
In a statement, Kerry and Feingold said a deadline "gives Iraqis the best chance for stability and self-government" and "allows us to begin refocusing on the true threats that face our country."
Both Democratic plans provide that U.S. personnel training Iraqi forces, those conducting counter-terrorist operations and other specialized forces could remain in Iraq.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, blasted the Levin measure as a "cut and run" policy that "threatens our national security and poses unacceptable risks to Americans."
Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), a Virginia Republican who chairs the Armed Services Committee, said he did not support the Levin amendment "in this form," and was considering an alternative.
Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Jack Reed (news, bio, voting record), who crafted the resolution with Levin, said the White House has used the debate to attack Democrats. "This may be a way to divide the country, but it's not a strategy for success in Iraq," he said.
Hopefully, the other Republicans will really be paying attention to what is going on THIS time..and not vote for another "alternative" written by Warner from a Levin amendment.
Was findst du falsch dahin, das die ganze Welt deutsche muessen sprechen? Gibt's Problem dafuer?
(Hu hu hu!)
Pretty much as you say it.
Only some are more strident with the "MEEeee!" whines.
sorry :)
Du bist schlecht. Alles gibt nicht von Deutschland.
The problem that is presented is individuals that participate on this forum, where American English is spoken, bring dialect from the fatherland which is improper. Nitwit.
Our overwhelming voices will drown out the rat's message. We shall loudly proclaim the TRUE heroes and the people that earned the victory in the WOT, and it will be our men and women of the US Military... and President Bush! Amen!!!
LLS
If we let them rule now we could be speaking French!
Check FReepmail.
In a statement, Kerry and Feingold said a deadline "gives Iraqis the best chance for stability and self-government" and "allows us to begin refocusing on the true threats that face our country."
I am stupid I guess but can someone please explain to me how removing US forces "gives Iraqis the best chance for stability and self-government."
Or German. The French speak very good German to this day.
I'll give the RATS credit, one thing they do know is how to lose a war....(s)
Holy smoke, I'm not even German! Geez, that's what I picked up in FRG in 1982! Even a little joke about German linguistical superiority is verboten, auch untersagt?
Und bitte hoeren Sie mich, ich bin kein `nitwit', aber ein komischer Nudel! Amerikaner, bestimmt. Nicht schlect, aber schlimmst!
Tschuess! Wiederhoeren!
You are so right. The Democrats have no way to salvage any credibility on Iraq except to keep saying over and over "bring the troops home"
They know that eventually troops WILL start coming home. (So sure are they of Bush's success in Iraq).
And when the troops do come home they will be all over the news claiming it is they who have pushed Bush into bringing home the troops earlier than he wanted to.
The DEMS make me want to puke they are so predictable
Es tut mir furchtbar Leid! Can't anyone take a joke anymore? And my German really isn't that good. Can you converse on the telephone in German? I can't!
I'm still amazed that my post-it German sounded like a fascist invasion. Wanna hear my Russian (deployed to Uzbekistan 2003-04)?
Kak dyela idut u vas? Pryekasna? Spokoinoi nochi!
All in good fun. I find humor in some issues that others find dark. And so it is.
I recommend that we replace each soldier in Iraq with a Liberal from the US. That way, we can bring the troops home and still maintain the same number of Americans there to protect the Iraqis. What better way for Liberals to demonstrate their "true" support for the military by serving in there place. I recommend that the first volunteer group to go be Murtha, Kerry, McCain, Kennedy, Pelosi, Boxer, Durbin, Feingold,...
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