Dems urge Bush to end Iraq war
In a letter to President Bush, both Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi offer their advice and urged the President not to increase troop strength but to begin a phased redeployment of troops that would effectively end the war, victory or not.
With all due respect to Reid and Pelosi, neither one of them know squat about military matters. Personally, I feel the decision to increase troop levels should be a command decision made by the military leaders in and around Baghdad. In other words, such an important decision should never be dictated from Capitol Hill nor the White House. I think Bush agrees.
Obviously, this will be part of the Democratic strategy for regaining the White House in ’08. They want us out of Iraq, with or without a victory, and they want to claim this as their accomplishment for the next election. Call it politicizing the war, or whatever, but there’s no escaping the fact that the Democratic party is not interested in winning that war as much as they are in winning the White House.
You see, it sounds much better to use the word "redeploy", which basically means the same as "retreat", but the common American would never elect a President who supported America's retreat from Iraq. No way. But someone who favored "redeploying" the troops? Sounds a lot better doesn't it?
I've said before, Iraq is the Gettysburg of the war on terror. If we don't succeed there, then the war itself is lost. That's how crucial Iraq is to our future. So what the Dems should be doing is working with the President to find a path to victory...but, then again, that doesn't exactly help them as much in '08. They have their priorities and in my mind our future is nowhere near the top of that list.
7 comments:
"this will be part of the Democratic strategy for regaining the White House in ’08."
Actually, this is obviously part of their duty to those who voted them in there. We, the people, want this war ended, apologies made for our mistakes, investigations into any criminal wrongdoing and work towards real solutions against terrorism begun.
This is why the Dems won, at least partially, in such numbers. If they don't do what they were elected to - if they don't represent those who elected them - then they may well not be elected again in 2008.
Exactly, Dan. Considering that only 11% of Americans support sending more troops to Iraq, you, John, are by far in the minority with this opinion. More troops will not matter if the strategy is still completely ineffective, and that fact has already been well established.
Uh, I NEVER said I want more troops in Iraq. I said that decision needs to be made by the Generals in and around the situation, not Congress, or the White House, or the voters or anyone else who doesn't know a damn thing about what's going on over there - including the 89% of people who don't want it.
Dan, I don't think anyone voted for defeat. Did you? Right now, "redeploying" our troops is pretty much the best way to ensure defeat. Maybe you're ok with that, maybe others are as well. But I would at least like people who feel this way to say it. I'd respect Pelosi a lot more if she would just say that we are retreating and she's fine with it.
People voted to end this war. We can't "win" an injust war. More troops, less. More time, less. Nuclear weapons, turning Iraq, Iran or the whole middle east into a crater - none of that will turn this into a "win."
The majority of the US recognizes this and wants us to end this wrong in the best way possible (recognizing there's no smooth way to graciously back out of a mistake).
That's what's going to happen, if our leaders listen. Bush and his supporters had their turn. It's over.
It doesn't matter what you, I or the voters think. According to the Constitution the president is the CIC. Therefore he alone controls the troops levels. The only thing the Congress can do is control funding. Sorry guys, it's just the law, whether you like it or not.
And control funding the Dems will, if they listen to them that put 'em there. And begin investigations into any possible wrongdoing in dragging us into this war to begin with.
It ALWAYS matters what the voters think.
Do you think that's likely? Not trying to be rude, just asking. Plus, I doubt most people favor pulling out of Iraq immediatly.
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