Republicans call for 'Cut and Run' Strategy, Back Down
After Harry Reid's shutting down of the senate to debate pre-war intelligence, I said that another more important issue needed to be debated- the (mis)handling of the war.
Well, tonight I got my wish. Unfortunately, it was a bigger 'stunt' than Reid's move and it was perpetrated by the Republicans. After a Democratic Congressman's call for immediate withdrawal, Republican leadership suspended the rules and convinced Rep. Hunter (R-California) to pose a non-binding resolution 'Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately'
Of course, this was insincere resolution but, worse, it is also absurd. Rarely does a resolution go straight to a floor vote. They are normally assigned to committees and debated. However, these clowns decided to 'call the bluff' and force a roll call vote on the resolution to show the unpopularity of immediate troop removal. It was a political stunt, pure and simple. But the sad part is that is was missing any true meaning.
What does this say about the war? Nothing. What does this say about the Democrats? Nothing. What does this say about the Republicans? A lot.
During judicial confirmations, the threats of the Democrat's filibuster and the Republican's power-grab dubbed 'the nuclear option' both sides were accused of abuses of power. Tonight's charade was not only an abuse of power, but a waste of time and money. We watched the House Republicans spend the final hours before Thanksgiving break regurgitating talking points and making false claims about Iraq, the Democrats, and the political process.
Republicans claimed that this debate, called for by the Republicans, was undermining the troops. Republicans repeatedly claimed that the bill was a Democrat resolution only admitting their lies after substantial opposition. A Republican congresswoman, on the floor of the Congress, called a Democrat Congressman a 'coward.' This spectacle was a disgrace to the Congress, the soldiers and the citizens of the United States.
The resolution and its vote were inconsequential. Anyone who claims that we should withdraw troops immediately is, albeit passionate, not thinking clearly. We have not trained the Iraqi forces to protect the citizens. We have not trained the Iraqi leadership how to hold a truly democratic process. Without these basic necessities, there would be a 'power-vacuum' which often leads to the rise of dictators or murderers. For example, the Taliban or Bin Laden rose to power after Afghanistan was left with no infrastructure after Russia's exit in 1992.
Fearing high death rates, they never wanted to commit as many troops as needed. Fearing a high price-tag, they never wanted to commit sufficient funds for armor, weapons, or reconstruction. Fearing exposure of their failures, they never wanted independent oversight of the process. And for these reasons, Iraq has been a failure.
The war has accomplished few things- namely, removing Saddam, creating permanent U.S. military bases in the Middle East, destabilizing Iran and other neighboring countries and, most importantly, offered solace and a rallying point to a nation embarrassed and angered by the government failures causing 9/11. The only problem, is that it wasn't meant to take this long.
Polls for Bush and his handling of the war are so low that the media has no choice but to give the people what they want- accountability. This is the one thing Republicans don't want. This is evident by Bush's continued assertion that Democrats also voted for the war (when actually voting for the President to go to the U.N. Security Council to authorize the war) and that they based their decision on the same intelligence. (debunked here)
Though tonight's debate offered little new insight into how the Iraq War has been a failure or success, one thing is clear. Today's Republicans are the party of no morals. Today's Republicans are willing to sink to the lowest of the low, offering a faux-resolution in order to try to embarrass the Democrats and fail. There was only one group embarrassed by tonight's pageant of arrogance- the American People.
Well, tonight I got my wish. Unfortunately, it was a bigger 'stunt' than Reid's move and it was perpetrated by the Republicans. After a Democratic Congressman's call for immediate withdrawal, Republican leadership suspended the rules and convinced Rep. Hunter (R-California) to pose a non-binding resolution 'Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately'
Of course, this was insincere resolution but, worse, it is also absurd. Rarely does a resolution go straight to a floor vote. They are normally assigned to committees and debated. However, these clowns decided to 'call the bluff' and force a roll call vote on the resolution to show the unpopularity of immediate troop removal. It was a political stunt, pure and simple. But the sad part is that is was missing any true meaning.
What does this say about the war? Nothing. What does this say about the Democrats? Nothing. What does this say about the Republicans? A lot.
During judicial confirmations, the threats of the Democrat's filibuster and the Republican's power-grab dubbed 'the nuclear option' both sides were accused of abuses of power. Tonight's charade was not only an abuse of power, but a waste of time and money. We watched the House Republicans spend the final hours before Thanksgiving break regurgitating talking points and making false claims about Iraq, the Democrats, and the political process.
Republicans claimed that this debate, called for by the Republicans, was undermining the troops. Republicans repeatedly claimed that the bill was a Democrat resolution only admitting their lies after substantial opposition. A Republican congresswoman, on the floor of the Congress, called a Democrat Congressman a 'coward.' This spectacle was a disgrace to the Congress, the soldiers and the citizens of the United States.
The resolution and its vote were inconsequential. Anyone who claims that we should withdraw troops immediately is, albeit passionate, not thinking clearly. We have not trained the Iraqi forces to protect the citizens. We have not trained the Iraqi leadership how to hold a truly democratic process. Without these basic necessities, there would be a 'power-vacuum' which often leads to the rise of dictators or murderers. For example, the Taliban or Bin Laden rose to power after Afghanistan was left with no infrastructure after Russia's exit in 1992.
Fearing high death rates, they never wanted to commit as many troops as needed. Fearing a high price-tag, they never wanted to commit sufficient funds for armor, weapons, or reconstruction. Fearing exposure of their failures, they never wanted independent oversight of the process. And for these reasons, Iraq has been a failure.
The war has accomplished few things- namely, removing Saddam, creating permanent U.S. military bases in the Middle East, destabilizing Iran and other neighboring countries and, most importantly, offered solace and a rallying point to a nation embarrassed and angered by the government failures causing 9/11. The only problem, is that it wasn't meant to take this long.
Polls for Bush and his handling of the war are so low that the media has no choice but to give the people what they want- accountability. This is the one thing Republicans don't want. This is evident by Bush's continued assertion that Democrats also voted for the war (when actually voting for the President to go to the U.N. Security Council to authorize the war) and that they based their decision on the same intelligence. (debunked here)
Though tonight's debate offered little new insight into how the Iraq War has been a failure or success, one thing is clear. Today's Republicans are the party of no morals. Today's Republicans are willing to sink to the lowest of the low, offering a faux-resolution in order to try to embarrass the Democrats and fail. There was only one group embarrassed by tonight's pageant of arrogance- the American People.
posted by zerohundred @ 11:54 PM
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