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Start U.S. Iraq withdrawal in 4-6 months: Democrats
Reuters ^ | 12 November | staff

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.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: congress; cut; cutandrun; democrats; iraq; levin; moralvictory; rats; retreatanddefeat; run; vietnam; wot
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To: shrinkermd

IIRC, a significant withdrawal was planned already.

http://austinbay.net/blog/?m=20060620


381 posted on 11/12/2006 4:18:33 PM PST by Blue State Insurgent (Those who know the truth need to speak out against these kinds of myths, and lies, and distortions..)
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To: right way right
If our troops come home defeated, it will largely be due to our putting the pro-enemy media square into their deployments. It will also be due entirely to our CiC allowing the leftist media to set the tone of the war, rather than stepping up and at least acting like he intended to fight this war to win.
382 posted on 11/12/2006 4:19:18 PM PST by Prime Choice (The angel has spread its wings. The time has come for bitter things.)
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To: TeleStraightShooter

"The chips also fell when Saigon fell and about a million died. But your good with that, right?"


Good with that? Not really.


383 posted on 11/12/2006 4:19:25 PM PST by BLS (If it breathes, tax it, and if it stops breathing, find its children and tax them (DNC))
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To: Prime Choice

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.


384 posted on 11/12/2006 4:22:30 PM PST by smoketree (the insanity, the lunacy these days)
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To: Prime Choice

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.


385 posted on 11/12/2006 4:27:44 PM PST by smoketree (the insanity, the lunacy these days)
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To: JasonC

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.


386 posted on 11/12/2006 4:35:56 PM PST by qman
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To: Blue State Insurgent; shrinkermd; P-Marlowe

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.


387 posted on 11/12/2006 4:36:37 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it! Supporting our troops means praying for them to WIN!)
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To: shrinkermd

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


388 posted on 11/12/2006 4:39:27 PM PST by hattend (Carpe Macaca)
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To: shrinkermd

But apparently that's what voters wanted.


389 posted on 11/12/2006 4:58:18 PM PST by Almondjoy
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To: jveritas; george76

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.


390 posted on 11/12/2006 5:18:04 PM PST by txrangerette ("We are fighting al-Qaeda, NOT Aunt Sadie"...Dick Cheney commenting on the wiretaps!!)
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To: shrinkermd

Whatever course of action the so called leadership choses will be the most harmful.


391 posted on 11/12/2006 5:18:14 PM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: ilgipper
"when do senators run foreign policy"

They run foreign policy by funding or defunding policy. Vietnam was lost when the war powers act was passed and the maintenance (air power) of the Vietnam peace was defunded. We cut and ran within months.

The dems have stated that they will control Iraqi policy through the purse strings.

I also question your 49-49-2 split. Don't forget you have 6-10 Rino rats.
392 posted on 11/12/2006 5:24:54 PM PST by Tail Gunner John
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To: jveritas

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.


393 posted on 11/12/2006 5:26:10 PM PST by LadyNavyVet
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To: mewzilla
"fortunately for us the terrorists couldn't have picked a worse ally"

I beg to differ. Without their fifth column ally the terrorists would never have driven the U.S. military out of Iraq. The dems and Rinos will have us out of Iraq within a year. Then the real Iraqi and American tragedy begins.

Also don't forget the effect this will have in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Karzi (sp.) is probably a dead man walking. Musarref (sp.) had already started a rapprochement with the terrorists. Pakistan will definitely move away from an undependable ally like America.
394 posted on 11/12/2006 5:37:42 PM PST by Tail Gunner John
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To: JasonC

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.


395 posted on 11/12/2006 5:41:47 PM PST by Tail Gunner John
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To: txrangerette
Thanks for the historical info, it puts things in perspective. I cannot believe that some people here are totally losing the perspective of who is who and what is what.
396 posted on 11/12/2006 5:42:04 PM PST by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: operation clinton cleanup
Your photo image is the Iraqi nightmare I've been having for about a year now. I really never thought it would come true until last Wednesday morning.

The second time in my lifetime that the dems have stolen defeat from the jaws of victory.
397 posted on 11/12/2006 5:46:49 PM PST by Tail Gunner John
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To: Tail Gunner John

As bad as abandoning the people of Viet Nam was, the consequences of bailing out of Iraq will be 1,000 times worse.


398 posted on 11/12/2006 5:53:02 PM PST by operation clinton cleanup
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To: shrinkermd
Remember this Promise?
CHARLIE MIKE!

399 posted on 11/12/2006 5:56:18 PM PST by VxH (There are those who declare the impossible - and those who do the impossible.)
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To: PghBaldy
So if we can just restrict the vote to the faculty of Harvard, we will be --- up a creek.
400 posted on 11/12/2006 6:20:23 PM PST by JasonC
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