Senate panel rejects Bush’s Iraq strategy Resolution calls increase in U.S. troops 'not in the national interest' WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee dismissed President Bush’s plans to increase troops strength in Iraq on Wednesday as “not in the national interest,†an unusual wartime repudiation of the commander in chief. The vote on the nonbinding measure was 12-9 and largely along party lines. “We better be damn sure we know what we’re doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder,†said Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, the sole Republican to join 11 Democrats in support of the measure. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., the panel’s chairman, said the legislation is “not an attempt to embarrass the president. ... It’s an attempt to save the president from making a significant mistake with regard to our policy in Iraq.†http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16785663/
That does indeed reflect their opinion. And opinions are like noses — we all have them. However, in our constitutional form of government, command of the military resides in the Executive branch, not the Legislative branch.
Didn't watch that...did these people actually come-up with something else or atleast consult over plans with military/etc officials?
True but the Legislative branch holds the purse strings. Kind of hard to finance his "strategy" without funding. With many Republicans now jumping off the Bush bandwagon, the money could be be harder to come by.
Democrats want defeat in Iraq. They see a defeat in Iraq as a defeat for Bush. A victory in Iraq is a victory for Bush. They're willing to sell their country out to ensure the defeat is Bush's. Problem is, he's not going to give them their way. Dems will have to hope the media can portray every fly swatted in Iraq as the worst thing since lower taxes.
Did you manage to catch the dem's response to the SOTU speech? Not only did they say that the war is pretty much lost, but they also said the economy was not that great....yeah. lets see...stocks at all time high, oil back down to close to $50/barrel...lots of jobs, unemployment lower than when clinton was in office...yeah. Its really not that great.
I don't usually jump into political debates like the one in this thread with anything other than the occasional one-off tong-in-cheek comment, but this statement kinda freaks me out. I think it's really dangerous (not to mention a little offensive) to suggest that Democrats want to see us defeated in Iraq. I consider myself a Democrat, but being defeated in Iraq would mean that my friend John, my cousin Chris, my neighbor's husband Jim, and tens of thousands of other brave patriots in Iraq would be in further danger of being hurt or killed in the line of duty. I pray every day that our troops succeed in bringing peace and stability to Iraq. Every day I worry about my friends and family in Iraq. I would give anything for our troops to return return swiftly, safely, and successfully. Furthermore, no one--be they Democrat or Republican--has any doubt about the fact that an unstable Iraq void of a US military presence would be a threat to the region and the world. The only people who want the US to fail in Iraq are those in nations which would directly benefit from a chaotic and violent Middle East. No proud American wants to see the US fail in Iraq. Anyone who genuinely wants to see this war fail--regardless of whether or not he/she thought it was the right decision in the first place--is an enemy of this country. Our legislators on both sides of the isle are among the most proud, dignified, and courageous of Americans, and there's no doubt in my mind that every one of them would like nothing more than for this war to end successfully for the US, the coalition, and our interests. The question is whether or not the war has already failed. Some think it has, some think it hasn't. But all of us want this country to prosper and for our troops to come home alive.
One of the first things you learn in Econ 101 is that the strength of an economy can't be measured with a thermometer reading on any given day. All we know from present day statistics is where we are, but the real question one must ask when judging the strength of an economy is where are we going. China and the EU are trending up. The US appears to be trending down.
Very true. I'm actually a little worried about how our economy is going to end up. I see it every day, on Ebay (of all places ). It seems like the value of the dollar just keeps falling. I think that it's almost worth 1/2 of a British Pound now. I know that there was some forex action that increased the value of the Pound, but it is still frightening. As far as the war goes, they honestly can't do anything to stop it. Bush has the power to use the money already provided in whatever way that he feels. I pray that the Democrats will not sacrifice lives by refusing to give them the necessary funding to provide them with the supplies that they need. The lack of funding for side armor on Humvees cost many lives, and I fear that a showdown between Congress and the President could end with a lot of unnecessary deaths. Finally, just look at what happened with good ol' Teddy Roosevelt to see what will probably happen. He wanted to show off our navy to the world in a grand tour, but he didn't have enough money. When Congress refused to grant it, he said "Fine. I have the money to send the Navy halfway around the world, and if Congress chooses to leave it there, then it is their decision." (I paraphrased).
This is very interesting, now we can see if the dems strategy will bring peace to the Middle East. Will the terrorism within Iraq stop? Yes, when the statistic is bad, you can blame the statistics, but when the statistics doesn't fit, you have to find something else to blame. The economy in EU has been bad for a long time, although it should get better according to the natural economical cycle.