Democrat Legislation Aims To Stop The War
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Legislation, WarIt’s going to be a standoff no doubt…
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced today that they are introducing legislation that will effectively end the current military mission in Iraq and begin the redeployment of U.S. forces. The bill requires the President to begin safely redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq 120 days from enactment, as required by the emergency supplemental spending bill the Senate passed last week. The bill ends funding for the war, with three narrow exceptions, effective March 31, 2008.
Here’s a perspective from QandO:
Having apparently rejected the lesson supposedly learned in the Balkans, Harry Reid is now content to abandon Iraq on an arbitrary timeline, and do exactly what he said wasn’t a very wise thing to do - empower those who don’t want us in Iraq. If he introduces this legislation, he will , metaphorically at least, spit in the eye of every soldier, sailor, marine and airman who’ve fought and died to make Iraq a success and leave it, eventually, as a peaceful nation. A proud moment to be a Democrat, I’ll tell you.
Well, that’s one way of putting it. Another way of putting it is Democrats, along with a majority of the American public, want to spit in their eyes…
A solid majority of Americans say they want their congressional representative to support a bill calling for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by August 2008. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) say they would like to see their representative vote for such legislation, compared with just 33% who want their representative to oppose it.
What this legislation aims to do is set a timetable…something we ALL know is inevitable at this point. This war is expensive, the killings are not going down (they’ve only moved from Baghdad to other areas) and the Iraqi politicians are not capitalizing on the small bit of relief we appear to be giving Baghdad. It’s time for it to end.
Maybe this legislation will be needed, and maybe it won’t. All depends on if Bush vetoes the current legislation…and that’s pretty much certain. But there has to be some sort of threat from the Dems, because we all know damn well that Bush will never propose a pull out unless he’s forced to do so.
I guess we’ll see.
This entry was posted on Monday, April 2nd, 2007 and is filed under Legislation, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 3rd, 2007 at 6:53 pm
The fact that a majority of Americans think their congress should end the war shows how bad the educations system is. It’s shocking how few seem to understand the Constitution and its separation of powers and the presiden’t role as commander in chief. Is congress prepared to sit 24/7/365, instructing the president regarding the movements of troops from one end of each and every town, be it Mobile or Baghdad, to the next? That’s why there’s a single person in charge of executing military command. It’s common sense.
April 3rd, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Good luck getting 60 votes!
Actually I wish Sen. Reid and Feingold a huge heap of bad luck as I think this legislation would serve the Republic very poorly.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
What actually serves the public very poorly is an administration run by a mad man who sees only the use of a gun and a warhead as a means of international relations; one that choses to ignore reality in favor of the fantasy he has built around him. King Georgie Porgie BELIEVES he is King; Believes he is the commander of the US and therefore the chosen ruler of the world with a direct line to the creator. He sitteth at the right hand of God and has pushed the Christ out of the way to have the ear of yahweh.
Proclamations of Crusades and of fighting evil. Classic paranoid ideation with a definite issue of inadequate personality disorder. Be afraid since he does have the codes
As far as “how bad the educations system is”, I was raised to speak an English that was lost and has been deeply wounded every time Bush opens his mouth. I was taught a history that teaches that no occupation of a land works when the people have the balls to rise up as they did in 1776, 1812, 1950’s and 60’s Vietnam, 1980’s Afghanistan…not to mention, Canada, Mexico (twice), India, China, Russia (a few times) France, Italy…shall I continue?
And a Constitution that is nothing like a “Constitution and its separation of powers and the presiden’t role as commander in chief”
But one with checks and balances preventing ANY ONE BRANCH from seizing control without oversight by the other 2 branches. A Constitution that does NOT allow for the mistreatment of any citizen or the absolute power of the presidency.
Mr King Boy Georgie Porgie is trying to become the supreme dictator and will need to have his hand slapped a bit while he continues to swipe from the till instead of the rubber-stamp he and his little blood-sucking minions had for 6 years.
The Legislation could actually save the lives of those considered collaterol damage and “acceptable loss” until you speak to the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers of the men and women who are deployed, redeployed and redeployed thrice more or those who have had NO training and no understanding of even how to defend against attack that are being sent to fight a huge gang war.
Until you wipe the tears from the small child who can’t understand why their father or mother will not be back because they were sent to step on IED’s
And until you hear the cries of a 20 year old Conscientious objector manipulated into joining with promises he will never have to see combat but whose first deployment was to try to save the life of some ravaged and beaten and bloodied teenager who has been sodomized and tortured in a hell hole like Abu Grahib….Then maybe you might have the knowledge to speak of this unthinkable evil war and how this commander in chief should have the right to cause these things to happen because these and worse, far worse, are the stories I have been confronted with daily and these are the stories of this war and this is the story of what this President has brought to this world…And no matter what excuses or lame denials or claims of “they did it first”…The reality is we are allowing these sons and daughters of this nation to die an unnatural and unnecessary death….and for what imagined threat or bogey man?
April 6th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Since my most recent post on this issue, I have had a chance to reconsider that position.
There is room for negotiation here. We have already seen change for the better in Iraq with the widening divide between the Sunni Tribes & al qaida, negotiations to allow the Sunnis a more reasonable degree of power in the government, & the beginnings of progress on the ground there. I now believe that the House bill, giving a little more time for the Iraqis to meet reasonable benchmarks, is a good idea. This progress would not have been possible without a clear message from the American people that enough is enough.
It is time for both Houses of Congress to quit posturing for politics, & for the President to recognize that there is a deadline to be out of Iraq. That date is November 2008, no matter what. Time to get real, Mr. President.
A troop drawdown starting 4 months from now may be a little premature. With the House bill, it would be necessary to begin withdrawal at around 6 months to get our people out safely by the August deadline. the extra 2 months might make the difference. If there isn’t significant progress by then, there definitely will not be later on.