Posted on 11/12/2006 7:40:13 AM PST by shrinkermd
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats, who won majorities in the U.S. Congress in last week's elections, said on Sunday they will push for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin in four to six months.
"The first order of business is to change the direction of Iraq policy," said Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), a Michigan Democrat who is expected to be chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in the new Congress.
Levin, on ABC's "This Week," said he hoped some Republicans would emerge to join Democrats and press the administration of President George W. Bush to tell the Iraqi government that U.S. presence was "not open-ended."
Bush has insisted that U.S. troops would not leave Iraq until the Iraqis were able to take over security for their country.
"We need to begin a phased redeployment of forces from Iraq in four to six months," Levin said.
Speaking on the same program, Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), a Delaware Democrat who is expected to head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he supported Levin's proposal for a withdrawal.
IIRC, a significant withdrawal was planned already.
http://austinbay.net/blog/?m=20060620
"The chips also fell when Saigon fell and about a million died. But your good with that, right?"
Good with that? Not really.
My apologies must have hit the wrong reply button. It was meandog that said tax cuts were the reason for low troop strength. Post 363 threw me off.
Simple mistake no need to raise the blood pressure.
You're getting downright rude you know that.
It is a known fact that the tax cuts raised the revenue. Now if that is assinine you prove it or watch your words.
This is a discussion forum not a brawl.
What 10 years are you talking about, this decision of the electorate will come home to roost very quickly.
There was a sroty today that alqida is pulling it arab fighters out of Afganistan.
Assuming the story is true, why would they do that? Because they are going to need them to subdue the democrates in Iraq after our Democrates pull the plug here.
I assume there will have a boat lift to 'dearbornistan' Michigan for all of our allies in Iraq, like we did for our allies in South Vietman.
I'm looking towards the day that the Dem's blame the Bushies for the murderous slaughter of the Kurds again. Those poor people will be hung out to dry one more time by the americans.
The democrats cannot force a departure or drawdown in 4 months or 6 months.
1. The executive branch is in charge of foreign policy. The President is the commander in chief.
2. The legislative can only over-ride a presidential veto with a 2/3rds majority. The dems are no where near that in either house of Congress. Any bill to cut off funding must pass the executive's veto.
3. One thing we learned from Bill Clinton was in his last year. The presidential veto exists until the moment he walks out the door. At that level, there is no such thing as a lame duck.
mms://a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/library/open/features/monday_flag_350.wmv?media_type=wms&av_type=video&event_pk=486348&product=gen_video
But apparently that's what voters wanted.
I believe Gerald Ford was President when the funds were cut off. Ford was a weakened President because he wasn't elected, and took over after a scandal, then pardoned Nixon, thus creating a terrible firestorm. He was also a creature of the Congress, having spent many many years there. I can't see him even considering trying to fund the war in Vietnam after just about everybody else was voting to cut and run. And this WAS what the American people wanted, apparently, after all the deaths and no end or victory in sight.
Whatever course of action the so called leadership choses will be the most harmful.
Rumsfeld needed to resign, I understand that, but a few hours after the election results were in? At that point we still didn't even know who had the Senate. It smelled of panic and appeasement.
The Dems don't take office 'til January. There was time for Rumsfeld to wait a week or two, resign, and do it all in an orderly fashion. This gives the Dems an exaggerated sense of their power, exactly what they DON'T need right now.
I agree with you up to the point of taking 10 years to play out after Iran gets nukes. I think it plays out in a matter of months after Iran gets nukes. It plays out when one or more American cities are vaporized.
As bad as abandoning the people of Viet Nam was, the consequences of bailing out of Iraq will be 1,000 times worse.
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