Dems cut-and-run on retreat from Iraq
Man, the nutters amongst the moonbats are going to be seething tonight when they read this:
In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs, officials said Monday.
The legislation would include the first federal minimum wage increase in more than a decade, a top priority for the Democrats who took control of Congress in January, the officials added.
While details remain subject to change, the measure is designed to close the books by Friday on a bruising veto fight between Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the war. It would provide funds for military operations in Iraq through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Democrats in both houses are expected to seek other opportunities later this year to challenge Bush's handling of the unpopular conflict.
Democratic officials stressed the legislation was subject to change. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss provisions before a planned presentation to members of the party's rank and file later in the day.
Democrats in Congress have insisted for months they would not give Bush a blank check for his war policies, and officials said the legislation is expected to include political and military goals for the Iraqi government to meet toward establishment of a more democratic society.
Failure to make progress toward the goals could cost the Iraqis some of the reconstruction aid the United States has promised, although it was not clear whether Democrats intended to give Bush power to order the aid to be spent regardless of progress.
Several officials said it was possible that Democrats would attempt to draft a second bill, to include much of the domestic spending that Bush and congressional Republicans have said they oppose.
Either way, Democratic leaders have said they hope to clear a war spending bill through both houses of Congress and send it to Bush's desk by week's end. They added the intention was to avoid a veto.
OK, the Dems are going to point to the minimum wage hike and a couple other programs, and claim they did their best. The nutters shouldn't be ticked about that because the Democrats, for once, are telling the truth. They tried their best to get a retreat from Iraq, and they knew there was simply no way they could get such a bill put forward, and get it passed with a three-quarters majority. No one in the House or the Senate was dumb enough to cross lines, and jump on board to give the Democrats their necessary votes.
So, if you're a nutter, keep quiet. They did try their best. You aren't going to be able to withdraw troops from Iraq until we're ready, and we know we've succeeded. And just so that the full weight of this story sinks in, there's Allah's report from Hot Air. It seems with so much indecision going on in our Congress, the Iraqis are peparing for a possible immediate pull-out:
Iraq's military is drawing up plans on how to cope if U.S.-led forces leave the country quickly, the defense minister said Monday.
The statement by Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi marked the first time a senior Iraqi official has spoken publicly about the possibility of a quick end to the U.S.-led mission.
It was unclear if the remarks were more than routine contingency planning.
"The army plans on the basis of a worst case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," al-Obeidi said. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout."
Can we blame them? With the shenanigans going on in Congress, and a nation thoroughly divided over the issue, I don't blame the Iraqis. They know that the Brits are drawing down troops, and they're smart to think up some contingency plans now before we suddenly decide to abandon the mission.
I don't ever want to see that. I was born two years before the abandonment of the US embassy in Saigon. We have been running long enough. We did it with the end of Vietnam; we did it in Beirut; we did it in Somalia. If we keep running away, our enemy's propaganda will be right. We will be a paper tiger that just needs to be squeezed hard enough to force our capitulation. We just simply can't do that any more. It's too dangerous in a post 11 September world.
Publius II
In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs, officials said Monday.
The legislation would include the first federal minimum wage increase in more than a decade, a top priority for the Democrats who took control of Congress in January, the officials added.
While details remain subject to change, the measure is designed to close the books by Friday on a bruising veto fight between Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the war. It would provide funds for military operations in Iraq through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Democrats in both houses are expected to seek other opportunities later this year to challenge Bush's handling of the unpopular conflict.
Democratic officials stressed the legislation was subject to change. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss provisions before a planned presentation to members of the party's rank and file later in the day.
Democrats in Congress have insisted for months they would not give Bush a blank check for his war policies, and officials said the legislation is expected to include political and military goals for the Iraqi government to meet toward establishment of a more democratic society.
Failure to make progress toward the goals could cost the Iraqis some of the reconstruction aid the United States has promised, although it was not clear whether Democrats intended to give Bush power to order the aid to be spent regardless of progress.
Several officials said it was possible that Democrats would attempt to draft a second bill, to include much of the domestic spending that Bush and congressional Republicans have said they oppose.
Either way, Democratic leaders have said they hope to clear a war spending bill through both houses of Congress and send it to Bush's desk by week's end. They added the intention was to avoid a veto.
OK, the Dems are going to point to the minimum wage hike and a couple other programs, and claim they did their best. The nutters shouldn't be ticked about that because the Democrats, for once, are telling the truth. They tried their best to get a retreat from Iraq, and they knew there was simply no way they could get such a bill put forward, and get it passed with a three-quarters majority. No one in the House or the Senate was dumb enough to cross lines, and jump on board to give the Democrats their necessary votes.
So, if you're a nutter, keep quiet. They did try their best. You aren't going to be able to withdraw troops from Iraq until we're ready, and we know we've succeeded. And just so that the full weight of this story sinks in, there's Allah's report from Hot Air. It seems with so much indecision going on in our Congress, the Iraqis are peparing for a possible immediate pull-out:
Iraq's military is drawing up plans on how to cope if U.S.-led forces leave the country quickly, the defense minister said Monday.
The statement by Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi marked the first time a senior Iraqi official has spoken publicly about the possibility of a quick end to the U.S.-led mission.
It was unclear if the remarks were more than routine contingency planning.
"The army plans on the basis of a worst case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," al-Obeidi said. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout."
Can we blame them? With the shenanigans going on in Congress, and a nation thoroughly divided over the issue, I don't blame the Iraqis. They know that the Brits are drawing down troops, and they're smart to think up some contingency plans now before we suddenly decide to abandon the mission.
I don't ever want to see that. I was born two years before the abandonment of the US embassy in Saigon. We have been running long enough. We did it with the end of Vietnam; we did it in Beirut; we did it in Somalia. If we keep running away, our enemy's propaganda will be right. We will be a paper tiger that just needs to be squeezed hard enough to force our capitulation. We just simply can't do that any more. It's too dangerous in a post 11 September world.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 3:30 PM
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