ht pookie
Posted on 10/30/2006 12:53:36 PM PST by presidio9
Even if Democrats win control of Congress in elections next week, an immediate change of course in Iraq policy is unlikely, the party's chairman said on Sunday.
Countering Republican campaign charges that Democrats would "cut and run" from Iraq, chairman Howard Dean said the party did not believe there should be a sudden pullout of all U.S. troops.
"The president will still be in charge of foreign policy and the military ... I don't imagine we're going to be able to force the president to reverse his course," he told the CBS "Face the Nation" program.
"But we will put some pressure on him to have some benchmarks, some timetables and a real plan other than stay the course," he added.
With control of the U.S. Congress at stake in the November 7 elections and sectarian violence raging in Iraq, Democrats and some Republicans have urged President Bush to change his strategy on the war.
Some Democrats have called for a withdrawal timetable, which Bush rejects.
Congress will have some influence on Iraq policy after establishing the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, with Bush's approval. The commission, co-chaired by former secretary of state James Baker, is assessing the war and will release its policy recommendations after election day.
Dean said a small U.S. force should be left somewhere near Iraq to help prevent the establishment of a terrorist haven in the region.
"We will need to leave a force of special-operations folks in the Middle East, not in Iraq but on the periphery of Iraq, so we can deal with terrorism in a timely manner.
"We don't believe now we should suddenly pull everybody out...," he said.
UNWANTED MILESTONE
So far, 99 U.S. troops have died in Iraq in October, the worse monthly total in nearly two years. If the death toll reaches 100, it will be an unwanted, headline-making milestone just before election day.
Many Americans have soured on the war. But Republicans charge that if U.S. pulled out before Iraq is stabilized, the country will become a breeding ground for terrorists who will eventually attack Americans at home.
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), a California Republican and chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said U.S. troops should remain in Iraq until the new government is functioning and the people are safe.
"Now, we did that in Germany, we did that in Japan, we did that in the Philippines," after World War Two, Hunter told Fox. He accused Democrats of fearing a Vietnam-like quagmire, which he said was unrealistic.
Democratic Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, a former Marine who had supported the war but who drew Bush's ire a year ago by calling for a troop withdrawal, disagreed that Iraq would become a terrorists haven if U.S. forces leave.
"I think it is the opposite. I think there is more terrorism throughout the world, and all of the polls indicate this," Murtha said on the Fox program. "The Iraqis believe this, the people in the periphery of Iraq believe that and the American public believes the same thing."
So now Mr. Condescender from Park Avenue is a military genius?
Just leave some special forces in a neighboring country, problem sovled.
What an moron.
Had to edit myself from "an idiot" and worse.
ht pookie
Perhaps being behind the 8 ball isn't so bad after all!
If true democrats should shut the hell up.
Hey tough times for the moonbats, first no Fitzmas to celebrate, they lose the special election in CA, their man in Iraq gets blown up, LSM stocks are tanking, gas prices are dropping the stock market, except for newspapers and magazines is soaring, inflation in check, deficit cut in half 3 years before forecast and now this!!!!!
Stay home moonbats, stay home it's just not worth it anymore.
8-)
Sure .. I believe that [/s].. it might take them a couple of weeks to round up the votes for their DE-FUNDING LEGISLATION - WHICH THEY HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN!!
Hey wait a sec: I thought the Democrats were running on the "bring our boys home now" ticket. What am I missing here?
Perfect illustration (cartoon). As always the left has to lie to get elected. They are moving into the keep quit and lay low phase to hide their plans.
If the Democrats now say they are not going to "cut and run" from Iraq, what reason is for an Independent or "moderate" Democrat to vote for them?
ht pookie
Eddie Haskel is lying *again*.
Not only are they rats, they're weasels. One of the things that the Socialists promised in the post-March 11 elections in Spain is that there would be no rapid change - within days of his inauguration, their PM was withdrawing Spanish forces from the Coalition, much to their humiliation.
But that's a lefty for you. Lefty lefty, liar liar.
Bull squat.
Thats because they will be too busy moving into there new corner offices, blowing taxpayer dollars to redecorate. Once they have their pampered corner finished, then they'll mess up the military (again).
First you are not going to win and we will keep control of both the House and the Senate
Second the foreign policy and wars are made by the President of the United States and the executive branch, the Congress does not shape foreign policy or war and if the democrats think that they have the votes to cut the funding for the troops then they are delusional more that we know. At least 20% of the democrats will vote against any funds cutting for the troops else they will be annihilated in the next elections.
Errr...prevent???
There is a terrorist haven in the region.
It's called Iraq.
It's one of the placed the U.S. is engaged in fighting terrorists.
Democrats are so stupid.
Now I am confused. The Democrats don't want to ask a soldier to be the last one to die in a losing cause, but mind you they are not for a pull out of troops. They are for the above finely defined "real plan".
I really hope lots of people listen to this. It might reduce the number pf "undecided" voters out there.
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