Earlier today you may have seen the post by Rep. Adam Smith, in which he explains his reasoning for opposing escalation in Iraq:
After the meeting I considered the President’s argument and reviewed the available information, including the Iraq Study Group report. In the end, even though I gave the President’s argument due consideration, I don’t find it persuasive. A troop surge is not the answer in Iraq.
But the big question is whether or not Rep. Smith is willing to use Congress’ constitutional power of the purse to limit the President’s ability to send additional troops to Iraq. [See the update below]
I don’t want to put the troops in a political fight between Congress and the President, and Congress should carefully consider the consequences of any attempts to block funds for a surge. We cannot put our forces in Iraq at greater risk. But a troop surge is not the answer in Iraq.
But Congressman, it is the President who has put the troops in this fight between himself and Congress! Let’s be clear: Democrats should fund the troops who are currently engaged, but not a single soldier more. Let’s draw a line in the sand. I think the working class folks of the 9th District would appreciate a congressman who sticks up (and always has, I might add) for the grunts who could be shipped out in a “surge.” Let’s make sure Rep. Adam Smith knows we’ve got his back on this!
Speaking of ‘speaking out,’ I’m seeing a trend starting to work its way around the blogosphere. Lefties are flying off the handle at perceived slights and sins of omission. Like this:
Our Senators have been remarkably quiet about Iraq for a long time. Until lately, Iraq wasn’t even on Patty Murray’s website. They’re doing better lately, but I was disappointed that they had no thoughts about the most important issue facing the country.
Did I miss something? I thought the Republicans were supposed to come up with right wing ideas, and Democrats were supposed to come up with left wing ideas. Instead, Murray and Cantwell are letting Bush and Cheney do all the thinking (no, I can’t read that with a straight face either). They are content to respond.
I’m getting worn out with folks runnin’ off half-cocked, with goofy ideas about exactly what senators and congressfolk ought to say and when they ought to say it. Senators Murray and Cantwell have some power to wield. Attention Democrats!! We’ve got power now!! This means it doesn’t matter what they say so much as what they do. As Kos says, just because Murray and Cantwell aren’t angrily denoucing Bush’s plan before he releases it doesn’t mean they’re not ready for a fight.
And in this fight, even the soldiers are with us.
UPDATE:
Rep. Adam Smith was on KUOW today and said it was “appropriate to place limits” on the President regarding the increase of troop levels. He’s open to the idea, but is concerned that it might not be possible. He wants to make sure such a move doesn’t hurt the troops, which is his first concern (as it should be).
Let’s not forget the House dealt a blow to the CHEAP LABOR CONSERVATIVES today by passing a minimum-wage increase!
HEY WILL DOES CUT AND RUN RING A BELL.WHAT A BUNCH OF LOSERS.
I heard on TV news tonight that reservists and guardsman are having an increasingly hard time supporting their families because a growing number of employers who are fed up with frequent deployments now refuse to hire part-time soldiers.
@ 2
WHAT WAS THAT I CANT HEAR YOU TYPE LOUDER DOUCHE
SO ROGER THAT MEANS IF YOUR KID EVER FINDS A JOB HE WILL MAKE $7.00 IN A COUPLE YEARS.WOW
@2 Cut and run is what wingnuts do when it’s their turn to fight.
CANT TAKE THE HEAT ASSHOLE GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN.ILL BET YOU WOULD OF BEEN GREAT IN WW2.CHICKIN SHIT.I CAN SEE IT KNOW NEW RIFLE ONLY DROPED ONCE WHAT A LOSER.GO PLAY WITH YOURSELF.
@5 My kids don’t have to work! There’s plenty of grass here in the park, and a yummy vegetable garden a couple blocks up the hill!
So GBS … how many more OPC’s (other people’s children) do you fuckwads insist on sacrificing in Iraq before admitting you lost your tinkertoy war?
If, as is likely, Senate Republicans and the White House insist on new tax breaks for small businesses as a quid pro quo for raising the minimum wage … then Democrats should attach an amendment that says these tax breaks (and any other small business relief in the final bill) will be forfeited by businesses that refuse to hire, re-employ, or otherwise discriminate against reservists and guardsmen.
IVE GOT 2 THERE KNOW.HOW DO YOU HAVE I THOUGHT SO.FUCK YOU
gbs @ 2 & 7:
Bu$h xliii already “cutted & runned” from Afghanistan. That pussy couldn’t pull out quick enough—-talk about combatus interruptus.
The 10th Mountain Div., f.o.b. Salerno, surrounds Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora & your butt buddy, the chimp-in-chief, our awol TANG pilot, Commander Codpiece, the milker-of-stallions, Laura’s “Mr. Excitement” answers the phone & says “Who? I don’t care about bin Laden. I don’t know where he is. Let the Afghans take care of it. And, by the way: don’t call me again, asshole, or you’ll be commander of the igloo repair battalion at Ghazni–wherever the hell that is.”
Yup. Cut & run.
Moquatada al Sadr. Three different USMC colonels have taken their Marines right to where they had this bastard & his entire Mahdi army surrounded & set up for obliteration. But, noooooooo! Old “cut & run” the Texas Bush Pussy called ’em off. Now the TANG cunt with ears is ready to waste 20,000 GIs on Sadr City.
Is this starting to look like a plan to you, kewlade schlurper? Yup! Ol’ yeller, cut & run Bush. Lt. awol pussy, the Mach II pilot who can’t take a flight physical.
Stow it, bitch. The cuttin’ & the runnin’ has already been done, a way whole bunch, no big deal to leave Iraq now, is it?
Newsweek columnist Howard Fineman says Bush resembled “a perp in a police lineup … stricken … scared … the look of a man who knew he had made a royal hash of things” in his speech tonight. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16...../newsweek/
@7 Well I know YOU weren’t in the military — you couldn’t pass the portion of the IQ test that asks you to spell “now.”
We are witnessing the actual political suicide of a sitting president and his party. It is amazing how much this man pussy-AWOL-in chief can take. His ego has splattered all over him and he keeps on coming. I would love to have copies of whatever Rove and Cheney have to continue to force this puppet-man to do their bidding. He gambles and loses, then he doubles down and loses again. A real man would resign and take his vice-president puppeteer with him. Please.
man
Roger Rabbit @ 14
I heard that he knearly passed the IQ test. While he did knot pass at the time, that doesn’t mean that he will knever be able to pass it. Is he the type who would drop a knew rifle? Or the type who would cut off his knose to spite his face? Or just someone who won’t take kno for an answer?
I am watching a replay of Bush’s speech. I want to give credit where it is due. He did not SMIRK once. Fineman is right. He looked terrified.
HEY ROGER GUESS AGAIN ILL PUT MY RETIRED MILITARY PAY AGAINST YOUR STATE PENSION.AND IF THATS NOT ENOUGH IVE GOT TWO MORE.FUCK YOU COCK BREATH.
Richard Pope:
Your post is very phunny at 17. The phucker you were making phun of probably won’t get the humor. He is foning all his phriends right now braging how he got so much attention on Horsesass.
Damn! GBS has retired military pay & still thinks that the Texas Bush Pussy is his hero???????
Bu$h xliii is not only cut & run, he’s also cunt & runt.
“Bring it on,” he sez.
They did.
Hey rabbit @ 13 & foot @ 18:
C’mon now. Whadda’ ya’ think. Is Bu$h xliii back on the coke? or back on the Jack Daniels Black label?
Or both?
Red faced, sorry-assed Texas Bush Pussy, looked like a whipped yellow dog.
I would hope that Rep Smith’s first concern is to ensure the military isn’t hurt. He represents tens of thousands of them in his district! His campaign promises were to protect them, not screw them over.
23:
Gee, um, well, I think that if we bring them home we are protecting them.
What do you think, sgmmac? Or is your idea of protecting them sending yet more troops to Iraq to be shot at?
Funny how that works!
Support our troops. Baghdad Airport. 2007.
“Hey, GI Joe & GI Jane. How ’bout ya’ll get on this C-5A and let’s cut a chogi to McChord.”
We gone.
Now did that cargomaster protect ’em or screw ’em?
Hey, teacher. I know, I know, let me answer.
@17 Knah, just another know-knothing wingknut.
@19 You’re collecting three military pensions? I assume under three different names, right?
@22 I think he’s doing Karen Quinlan Cocktails.
@23 Mac — if you want to hurt the military, send them to Baghdad with no body armor, no Humvee armor, no battle helmet upgrades, and no mission!
Sgmmac said
“I would hope that Rep Smith’s first concern is to ensure the military isn’t hurt. He represents tens of thousands of them in his district! His campaign promises were to protect them, not screw them over.”
Are you joking? Why did 3000 + of them die already?
You are joking, right?
Why are 25,000 of them maimed?
Joking?
Hell, this is no joke! We have an insane President, and a very few insane supporters.
The only logical answer is to leave NOW.
Will Iraqi’s die? Yes.
Will they die if we stay? Yes.
Will Iraq become a fundamentalist Shi’ia’ Regime either way? Of course! And in the end Iran WINS!
Thanks for you Iranian Fundamentalist support sgmmac! Way to not support the troops!!
Sgmmac is insane. Or just a Neocon symp. And a Iranian infiltrator!
Richard Pope says:
What happened to the REAL GBS? ****
An Informed Voter
**** Actually, Dick Pope did not say this. I did.
What happened to the real GBS? Did PuddyBud drug him?
31
I don’t know, but I wish the real GBS would come back. He was a good guy, and funny, and had some stones (IIRC he was the guy who made the bet with JCH). This bargain-basement GBS is a bore. He gets the JCH treatment from me, i.e. any post with his name at the top automatically gets skipped over.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/.....to-hitler/
Even some rethugs are starting to see that Baby Bush and his grandfather’s pal Adolf Hitler have a great deal in common.
I am pleased that you don’t consider putting fiscal contraints on Bush’s ability to “surge” part of the chorus of “half-cocked, with goofy ideas” that you see. I am not clear why Adam isn’t comfortable with Pelosi’s clear statement on supporting the troops in the field versus supporting an increase in boots on the ground. In this one case, Congressman Jim is correct:
The only leverage we have on the Iraqis is how we will leave. Set benchmarks, and if X Y Z are not accomplished X number of troops will leave, Y number of troops will leave, and Z all troops will leave. This is more than 50% of the solution. What Bush did not utter out of his pie hole is what the consequences will be for the Iraqis if they don’t meet the benchmarks.
Here is an alternative take on Rep Smith and those who don’t want to expand our presence in Iraq.
First, this is a very safe place for Mr. Smith to post. A litteral cheering section of far left thinkers.
He writes about the “hole” the president is in and that the president still views this as a military problem not a political one….
WEll, first off, I believe that Mr. Smith, by his words, already believes we have lost in Iraq. If he truly believes that we have lost, then he should do everything in his power to get the troops out immediately…. no half measures, if we have lost get out. If we have not lost, then we must do whatever it takes to win… To win means that we work alongside the Iraqi govt., help them stand up. Take out with extreme prejudice any insurgents or foreign fighters. Keep Iran and Syrian interloppers out of Iraq. Help keep security now, so that the Iraqi’s can take over.
There is a great distortion in the media that Iraq is falling towards civil war…Well Baghdad looks real bad. The reports from the balconies of the green zone would have us believe that the entire country is in chaos. This is not true. Baghdad is chaotic.
There are as a whole in Iraq, more public services (power, water, sewer, etc) than before we booted Saddam. We hear of lines at the gas pumps as evidence of how things are worse in Iraq than before. Well before we took out Saddam, it was difficult to get a car. There were 500K cars for a population of 24M. There has been an increase of over 100M cars since 2004, and the numbers keep rising rapidly.
Business is booming in Iraq. Oil production last month was the highest ever for Iraq. The govt is trying to work out a program for all Iraqis to share in the oil wealth of their country. The kurds are thriving.
Is there violence. yes. but to put it in context. statistically New Orleans is less safe than Iraq. New Orleans has a higher murder rate than that of Iraq. I know city vs country, but we are told IRAQ is in chaos when in truth it is Baghdad.
I believe we have already won. What we are doing now is holding onto victory. We decimated Saddam and swiftly booted him out. A massive victory. The efforts post Saddam have been trying and not perfect. 20/20 gives us that. We have not lost. Since I believe we have not lost, I think it is only responsible to give our president, his commanders and the troops whatever they need to secure victory. If that means changing the ROE’s or taking the gloves off, then do it. If it means more troops now to allow us to bring home greater numbers more quickly, then do it.
The job isn’t finished.
(cue the explitive laced tirades)
Here’s something Rep Smith won’t talk about:
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006675.htm Michelle is an embed in Iraq. Real pictures from real adults. Something Froggy can’t fathom, still sitting at the kids table during family reunions!
The UnInformed Voter speculated: What happened to the real GBS? Did PuddyBud drug him?
No I didn’t! GBS was one of the few liberal AssesHorses who wasn’t a libtard! Too bad he moved on as his commentary actually made sense. Not like StillLeftStillStupid, CluelessYLB, Froggy, NoFactsNoPositions, etc.
Power of the Power and results — it can be done!
No excuses required.
BLOG | Posted 01/10/2007 @ 10:14am
Past Precedents For Blocking Escalation
Ari Berman
http://www.thenation.com/blogs.....pid=155973