Edwards Hits Obama (And Hillary) Again Over IraqReid: Bush Withdrawal Plan "Unacceptable"
With the war of words intensifying between the White House and Congress, Harry Reid has just issued a new statement attacking the President's "plan" to do what everyone knows had to happen anyway -- i.e., reduce the troop count by next summer to what it was before the surge:
“The President’s plan is neither a drawdown nor the change in mission we need. His plan is more of the same. This is unacceptable to me. It is unacceptable to the American people. And I hope this is unacceptable to Senate Republicans. Supporting a plan that keeps at least 130,000 troops in Iraq for what could be years to come is not a change in mission. I call on Senate Republicans to stay true to their word and work with us this month to craft legislation that changes the mission in Iraq and begins a true redeployment of our troops.”
Yes, agreed, this isn't a change of course. Bush never was going to change course. The big question now is what Congressional Dems are willing to do to force this to happen.
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Eric, sadly I believe that the answer to your question is "nothing". Base on past performance, I think we will see much sturm and drang followed by a complete collapse when a vacation is on the horizon and the Decider goes to the media and accuses the Dems of aiding "THE TERRORISTS" and refusing to "SUPPORT THE TROOPS".
September 12, 2007 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only card Dems has is the money card and I am afraid Dems won't force a vote on that. Bush knows it. No pols would dare cut off money to the troops so the war will go on.
September 12, 2007 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
This whole "cut off money to the troops" thing is a Republican invention, a Rovian theme pure and simple and every one of you have bought into framing the debate that way. This is on the order of the old "Have you stopped beating your wife?" attack that has no acceptable answer. The issue must be framed radically differently as "We are going to cut off further funding of Bush's War and fully fund troop redeployment" Now repeat that 10,000 times in front of the cameras and it may gain traction and displace the Dem-defeatist Rovian crap.
September 12, 2007 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Watched the press conference with Reid and Levin etc. Between the 15:00 and 20:00 marks Reid seemed to be having a real problem with some of the reporters. To one reporter he said something like ‘your statement is ridiculous’ and a little later he ignored another. Another reporter then asked the same question Ried had just ignored. To me it definitely had a tense feeling between the reporters and the dems.
Video here:
Senate Democrats News Conference on Iraq
http://www.c-span.org/videoarchives.asp?CatCodePairs=,&ArchiveDays=100
September 12, 2007 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
So basically Reid, our powerful Senate majority leader who received a mandate from the voters in 2006, has been reduced to begging and pleading with Senate Republicans to stop doing what they have been doing for the past 6 and a half years, which is enable Bush to do whatever the hell he wants to as unitary executive deciderer. Are you serious Senator Reid? That's your plan?
September 12, 2007 5:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Quiz: The American public is too stupid to understand the difference between defunding Bush's war" and "not funding the troops"? TRUE or FALSE? (this is a trick question of course because if you answer true, you've just admitted that you think 70 percent of the American public are dumb-asses because they in fact want the war to end) but go ahead and answer anyway. Thanks.
September 12, 2007 5:33 PM | Reply | Permalink