Posted on 01/23/2007 7:54:14 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Democrats blistered President Bush's war policy Tuesday night, challenging him to redeem the nation's credibility — and his own — with an immediate shift toward a diplomatic end to the bloody conflict in Iraq.
"The president took us into this war recklessly," the Democrats' chosen messenger, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, said in response to Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday evening. "We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable — and predicted — disarray that has followed."
Webb, a Vietnam veteran who was Navy secretary during Republican President Reagan's administration, called for a new direction.
"Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos," said Webb. "But an immediate shift toward strong regionally based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq."
Bush offered no such plan in his speech before the most unfriendly joint session of Congress of his tenure.
Instead, the president focused on making the case that "failure would be grievous and far-reaching" and he defended his plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq in a short-term surge. He also issued a long list of domestic policy initiatives centered on such pet Democratic issues as energy independence and health care.
Newly installed majority Democrats welcomed his overtures of bipartisanship but weren't interested in changing the subject.
"Unfortunately, tonight the president demonstrated he has not listened to Americans' single greatest concern: the war in Iraq," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said in a joint statement. "We will continue to hold him accountable for changing course in Iraq."
In a speech written himself and previewed by senior Democratic officials, Webb challenged Bush to support the House-passed minimum wage increase and nurture an economy that restores the middle class. And he said Democrats would work with Bush to promote energy independence.
But he chose harsher rhetoric for what he framed Bush's abuse of the public's loyalty, trust and welfare in the rush to war.
"The war's costs to our nation have been staggering," he said. "Financially. The damage to our reputation around the world. The lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism, and especially the precious blood of our citizens who have stepped forward to serve."
Democrats also hammered home a message that achieving bipartisanship must be as much a part of Bush's agenda as proposals on the war, energy independence and health care.
"We hope to begin working with him to move our country in a new direction," Reid and Pelosi said in their statement.
"If he does, we will join him," Webb said. "If he does not, we will be showing him the way."
The speech capped the Democrats' effort to have the first, most frequent and last words on the president's annual address.
Seated in the gallery above the chamber was a reminder of a key factor in the Republicans' loss of congressional control and the lone veto of Bush's presidency. Actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, attended as the guest of Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., who is a quadriplegic, Langevin's spokeswoman said.
Both men have health problems that some scientists believe might someday be cured or treated by embryonic stem cell research. Bush last year vetoed a bill that would have allowed taxpayer money to speed up those studies, arguing that public funds should not be spent on research that destroys budding human life.
Fox then appeared in several campaign commercials for candidates that support the bill, sparking a controversy and helping tilt the election in the Democrats' favor. The House earlier this month passed the same bill by a margin far short of the two-thirds majority required to override a second veto.
Webb's fat head looked like it actually grew on TV. Personally, I think he was petrified to fart and it
blew him up.
They don't care who they get killed,, they remain true to their wacked wicked base.
"Webb's fat head looked like it actually grew on TV. Personally, I think he was petrified to fart and it
blew him up."
George Allan must have really screwed up his campaign to lose to that light weight.
The Rats showed they are not interested in the U.S. winning in Irag by their silence during that speech. And sadly most of the American Sheeple don't care because they didn't see this speech.
They keep trying to say they support the troops. That's a lie. You can't say you support he troops but won't give them the help to win a war.
Where is the legislation that talks about WINNING? They don't have one.
Right, load up all troops and head dead west to the USA as fast as the Marxist's yellow asses can get there. The Marxists are actually an insult to their name. All true Marxists love to fight and kill. These guys are starting to give their namesake, Stalin and Lenin bad names with their cut and run.
Have I told you all lately how much I hate, detest, despise, have total contempt for, and generally just flat do not like, Marxists Dimocrats.
The Democrats would sentence their own country to death for political gain. Very sad to witness.
I thought Webb came across very poorly. When combined with things like Pelosi and the Democrats sitting on their hands when Bush declared failure was not an option, the Democrats looked very small, mean, and unpatriotic. Of course, that's not how it will be reported.
BTW, did anyone else seem to think that Webb looked like he has a bad toupee?
Webb looked like he has a bad toupee?
Yup, Bump!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. Every time the president talked about how we need to win and do what it takes to win, only half the room stood and clapped. The other half? Nothing. Really makes me disgusted. Seriously what kind of message does that send overseas and to our troops? That the democratic party could care less about our military's mission and succeeding in Iraq. Pathetic.
Sigh, and that man is my senator for 6 more years....... (through no fault of my own!)
"Regional based diplomacy". That would be Syria and Iran, wouldn't it? No wonder the Dims want nationalized health care. Their crack bills must be off the charts.
Democrats blistered President Bush's war policy Tuesday nigh
In other breaking news
The average tenpature in the northern hemisphere is colder in Jan. than July.
If you walk ten feet off the top of a 20 story building nothing good can happen to you.
Dem's want us to lose the war
I don't think they want us to lose the war so much as they don't take it seriously. They view it like they would view a (say) farm bill. Just a way to bring home some pork, and score political points against the GOP.
Yeah but they're only there because we're there, uhhh...instead of here...I mean ...Damn that Bush!
No, they want us to lose the war. They hate Bush, conservatism, capitalism, and you. It's for spite and it's about them getting power for the sake of having power.
Make note of the treasonous words these SOB's say right now. The day will come when these turncoats will pay for saying it. These things must be archived and not forgotten. They will regret it. There will be an attack much bigger than 9-11, and the only people who will have any 'credibility' will be the ones who remained consistent on this issue, that is: our President, some Republican law-makers and maybe a Democrat or two.
Traitors all. When Hillary lies about the President's policies and the history of our involvement she is unpatriotic, unAmerican and a danger to our Republic. But she was all that before Bush was our President.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.