BREAKING: DEMOCRATS TO PUSH IRAQ TIMETABLE

ap

[SoFloFreeper]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional Democrats have decided to push a specific timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

[ac-rep]

I wonder if the insurgents have to meet any "Benchmarks"

[lapsus calami]

 

 

what really seems to bother them, at root, is the prospect of the U.S. wielding power successfully.

 

 

That sentence strikes a nerve. You may or may not have heard of the book Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews, by David Pryce-Jones (ISBN: 1594031517), I have not read it in full (yet) but have taken a brief scan through, which can be accomplished rather easily since it is a small book, not very long. What it lacks in length it makes up for with rather interesting content. Pryce-Jones had gotten access to and dug around in French government records, though maybe not necessarily discovering any huge state secrets, I think his info serves to set confirmation and explanation for a good bit of the political jockeying that has gone on around the Middle-East for decades. Namely, how the French government had a long enduring fantasy of establishing a Franco-Arab axis that would ensure first pick in business and diplomatic amenities for France among nations and territories in the Middle-East - they hope - to the exclusion of other nations and entities. That worked out well didn't it? - their bungling delivered Ayatollah Khomeini to power and unleashed a movement that torments us to this day. Guess the French could not grasp that there are those in the world who do not work well with others who do not share the same agenda and beliefs. The bad part is that it didn't just cost them, but is costing everybody on the planet.

 

Where I am going with this is that passages in the book reinforced the reality that there is a very competitive atmosphere in the Middle-East between a myriad of nations and idealogies for resources, and political clout, which is inescapably tied to the resources of the region. The U.S. is competition, and successfully diminishing if not fatally wounding our profile in the region, by hook or by crook,  is one less entity for other interested parties to have to actively worry about and compete against. Better opportunity for "them", and none for us (they hope). I am just wondering who the "them" may be that apparently have some elected high officials in their camp(s).

 

 

 

[El Gato]

It's just more "Cut and Run" nonsense. They will get themselves unelected.

Don't count on it, if the MSM spins it properly, and ignores the natural consequences (ie. bloodbaths that will make the killing fields of Cambodia look tame). The last time they did it, we ended up with Jimmy Carter as the winner in the next Presidential election (1976), and with the Dems still in control of Congress after that same election as well.

[El Gato]

It is not clear how it can come out well.

Only by the judicious application of strategic sized nuclear weapons.

Not really, but if we want to avoid that, we need a much larger military than we have now, at least as large, if somewhat differently constructed, as we had at the end of the Reagan buildup. And of course the will to use our power decisively.

[El Gato]

They did for the same exact reason that we see today, only one Commander in Chief and not hundreds

But without the money, and this is part of an appropriations bill, the Commander in Chief has his hands pretty well tied.

[ronnie raygun]

Bubba Clinton already gave all of our secrets out in the 8 years he was in office. Now the traitors in congress are finishing the job by handing over our country!

[Scott from the Left Coast]

The Democrats want nothing more in this world than to be able to point, for generations, to a war "lost" by a Republican President. It takes the national security issue away from Republicans for decades. That is why they are trying to do this...not for the country, for themselves.

[danmar]

Forgive the lack of link...this is breaking now.

Chill....did the President signed the resolution? If not ain't worth mentioning it!

[freema]

An Open Letter to President Bush:

Produce a mirror image of this proposal for legistation as an addendum for NCLB.

Sincerely,

freema

[FreeReign]

It is why Romney is beginning to show strength and none of the build a wall, close the border politicians can get off the ground.

We lost 20 good pro HR4377 Congressmen in the last election.

The voters clearly don't know what they are doing.

[jveritas]

The President can allocate the money to fund the war from anywhere he wants in the budget. This democrat defeatist plan is going no where, absolutely no where and the traitors know it.

[HitmanLV]

When push comes to shove, the dems won't be able to defund the war, barring a dramatic change (that, to be fair, might happen).

[jveritas]

Do you mean by dramatic change something very bad happening?

[HitmanLV]

Well, something bad enough that the usual suspects can get on the air and declare the war over and we lost, like Cronkite and the Tet offensive. The actual facts won't matter (much like Tet), just a big, nasty enemy move that can be massaged into a major defeat "that makes victory impossible."

Hope it doesn't happen and I don't expect it to, just keeping an open mind

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

This just a classic page from the Democratic playbook.

Vietnam all over again.

[Bush gal in LA]

I saw Maxine Waters today on CNN today and she was asked if the bill even made it out of the Senate ,and got to the Presidents desk , the President has already said he would veto it. To which she responded ''We don't care if he veto's it. ''The troops are coming home!''..........Is it just me or are some of these RATS like Murtha and Maxine Waters coming off as crazy or semi delusional?!!............

[amchugh]

They know they have no real power over the decisions of the Commander in Chief (other than budgeting), but they are playing to an audience for the 2008 elections.

[reluctantwarrior]

They would effectively strip the military of O and M funds by placing this poison pill in the supplemental. If Bush vetoes it he can direct SecDef to fund the war by defunding all other DoD funding lines. So ships not supporting OEF/OIF would not steam, planes would not fly and perhaps worst the aquisition budget for purchasing equipment would be zeroed out. So it would stretch out the reset of equipment lost in theater and the purchase of the next Gen of systems.

Personnel would receive less pay in the form of bonuses and pro pay and incentive pay. If it is bad enough the Sec Def can cut the retiree pay account and reduce active duty pay to soldiers not in the combat zones.

[Cold Heat]

I don't get a reply like that too often....Thanks!:-)

[amchugh]

I'm not familiar enough with congressional budgetary procedure. I thought they had to get this in the total budget package. Is there still enough Republican influence to stall or filibuster this?