Thursday, January 18, 2007

Opposition on Capitol Hill to Bush's surge


ABC News says that there is a "surge" of opposition on Capitol Hill to Bush's sending more troops into Iraq.

Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) has a bill that "would cap troop levels and demand that the president obtain congressional authorization for any increase in troops."

But Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) bill overshadows his.
Clinton said she opposes "an escalation of U.S. troops, which I do not believe will contribute to long-term success in Iraq."

Quoting from the news article:
The bill she is set to introduce would cap troop levels at 130,000 and require congressional approval for any more. It would also stop funds for Iraqi security forces if sectarian militias remain a part of those forces, and it would require benchmarks for both the Iraqi government and the Bush administration, leading to the phased redeployment of troops and a stronger diplomatic effort in the region.
Clinton said she opposes "an escalation of U.S. troops, which I do not believe will contribute to long-term success in Iraq."

"It does lay down some markers about what we expect," she said.

Clinton readily admitted her bill had little chance of becoming law. "I can do the math," she said. But she wanted to go on record as pushing the Iraqi government — and the White House — to make more progress.

Clinton "also voiced support for a bipartisan and nonbinding resolution offered by Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., declaring that 'escalating the United States military force presence in Iraq … is not in the national interest.'"

There are Democrats with all kinds of ideas for Iraq but they're afraid if they coalesce around one idea and it fails they will have to share in the responsibility for the war. And that doesn't bode well for 2008.

Ah com'on where are the brave ones? Where are the ones to stand up and agressively put forth a strategy?

There is the bill offered by Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's key subcommittee on defense, who wants to redeploy U.S. troops out of Iraq with a quick reaction force established nearby. "I think redeployment is a first step to stability in the Middle East," he said on ABC's "This Week."

This sounds like a workable strategy: redeploying troops out of Iraq with a quick reaction force established nearby. How's that Mr. Bush? Can we consider that? Huh? Huh?

theteach

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