What the Seattle Times said:
Legislation that passed the House last week would begin redeploying troops within 120 days and complete transition to a limited military presence by April 1.
Republican Congressman Dave Reichert of Washington voted with the president, and missed a big opportunity to distinguish himself. This is the direction our country has to take.
[…] There is no good time to get out of Iraq, but once we know we must leave, there is no excuse to put off the decision. Delay is also a decision, the wrong one with enormous costs in human life.
From now until November 2008, Darcy Burner will be relentlessly attacked as lacking the experience necessary to serve this region in Congress, but there should be little doubt how Burner would have voted on the House redeployment bill. She would have exercised the judgment to vote against the president, and with the values of her district. She would have displayed the leadership necessary to start bringing our troops home now, not months from now, and only when political expediency makes it absolutely necessary.
I hope the Times’ editors remember this before they sit down to write their next Reichert endorsement.
UPDATE:
Postman interviews Reichert on Iraq:
Reichert still firmly supports President Bush. The congressman is a former sheriff. When he talks about the war he frequently relates it to police work. And in this case he sees parallels between the criticism aimed at Bush and his most famous case, the hunt for the Green River Killer.
“During Green River we were just hammered on by the press and the community and I got hammered by people and criticized and I just feel some of the same pressures are being applied to the president.”
It should be noted that it took 18 years to catch the Green River Killer, even though they had enough evidence to make Gary Ridgeway a prime suspect early on.
That Reichert references his law enforcement career in response to every question is pathetic. That once again people are dying while he hamfistedly continues his investigation is a tragedy. Why do voters constantly reward such mediocrity?
Hey Goldy – Let’s see how good your “news” is. Does the bill say they’ll all be home by next spring? That’s how it’s being reported.
Did you read the fucking thing? Do you have any fucking idea what your moonbats representatives are actually saying?
And I really want to know… DID burner get the endorsement of her homeowner’s association where she honed her razor sharp political skills?
Seems like they oughta know how good she is.
MTR: pay your debt you fucking cunt.
And for those of you who are fucking gullible enough to believe the “global warming” hoax, here’s something that absolutely demolishes the “forecasts” issued by the alarmists:
http://www.forecastingprincipl.....audit.html
When we leave Iraq, it will disintegrate. Hanging around it putting off the inevitable. We need to disengage ourselves from the Middle East’s religious conflicts.
How can you tell when MTR is lying or sucking a dick? His lips are moving.
MTR @ 4 – THAT’S BEEN DEBUNKED ALREADY. IT’S BULLSHIT.
HOW MUCH DO THEY PAY YOU?
USE THE MONEY TO PAY YOUR FUCKING GAMBLING DEBT.
Lib @ 5
I don’t agree. I would say, when we leave Iraq, we don’t know what will happen. Iraq disintegrate? Maybe? Civil war descends into genocide? Not impossible to imagine. Iraqis come to a political agreement what enables them to expel al Qaeda and the thousands of Saudis polluting their streets? Might happen. Kurds break away and form a Republic, prompting Turkey to invade? Could be.
We DO know what WON’T be happening if we leave. No more American Occupation troops to target, or to use as a propaganda pitch.
And we DO more or less know what’s happening NOW, and it’s a fucking mightmatre that’s getting worse every day and is turning out a well-trained generation of jihadis ready to die to attack the West. Let’s put a stop to what the Occupation is fueling.
MTR @ 1
Given that Goldy quoted a news report that states “complete transition to a limited military presence by April 1…” I don’t see how you can credibly assert that it is somehow universally “being reported” that the bill says “they’ll all be home by next spring.”
But then, credibility hasn’t really been your strong suit.
GWB is choosing to be a martyr over this, as it is his only possibility, however slim, of being thought of as less than total slime:
If he can wait it out until after the 2008 pres election, then whatever happens will be the dems’ fault.
If congress/the dems pull out before then, it’ll be their fault, not his.
I can’t believe this ploy isn’t being labeled as such by at least some in MSM.
He’s a spoiled little rich boy, running the US as his personal toy, and he’ll go down blaming any consequences on somebody else. That the repubs don’t seem to get this does seem very puzzling to me. They’re going to get the brunt, even if the delusional wingnuts stick to the Bush bullshit.
Lib @ 5
On the otherr hand, if you were referring to the WaPo article on how the military games out the likely developments after a US withdrawal, it comes close to your surmise.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....80_pf.html
Another blow to the wingnuts.
My fine neo-socialst friends,
Do you suppose that George Bush is purposely letting things go to hell in a handbasket so as to leave a mess for any Democrat who might take office in January of 2009?
Mr Lib,
Is that your theory? It’s not impossible, of course. I think he’s only really interested in preserving/creating his own little egocentric world. His decision-making processes as described by Woodward would seem to indicate that, but to the extent that making a mess might further that end, it’s certainly plausible to me, and I’m not much for conspiracy theories.
Patriotism may be the last refuge of soundrels, but martyrdom is often the last refuge of failures.
12 Lib
I’d say, he’s doing it because he’s an idiot who is convinced of his own infallibility and listens to all the wrong people.
The “leaving a mess” is just a bonus for him.
DL 14,
Absolutely, but why are the repubs following him over the cliff. How does it work for them?
@ 10:
No matter what the Republican lies will be, no matter what Bush says, history will judge him and the Republicans harshly.
Who looks back on the McCarthy era and says “Joe McCarthy was a real partiot.”?
Nobody.
Lib @ 12:
It really is a reflection of Bush’s track record as a “C” level executive.
F-A-I-L-U-R-E!
Who looks back on the McCarthy era and says “Joe McCarthy was a real partiot.”?
Nobody.
Not really. Ann Coulter wrote a book saying that and it was a bestseller. That’s why the Republican Party has collapsed into itself. They were completely and utterly insane, but it took a few years for people to notice what they were really about.
@ 18:
Point well taken. I should’ve said “What HONEST person looks back on the McCarty era and says . . .”
******BREAKING NEWS*********
Carnation Washington
RS News source.
RS – Today the Ames Lake HOA decided that the flowers in the culdesac circles should in fact be carnations. Club President Darcy Burner, recently defeated democrat for congress, delivered a brief statement. “Today we made great progess for the Ames Lake HOA and set an example for other HOA’s in keeping with the traditions of our founders…Carnations are a great choice for the Ames Lake HOA and I’m proud to sign this notification to the HOA making it official.”
The DB for Congress campaign had this statement.
“today’s decision and signing show the kind of experience and leadership that the 8th district can expect from Ms Burner if she is ever elected.”
This seems like faith based politics to me. Where does Darcy Burner say she supports withdrawing the troops now? On her website she talks (or rather parrots the mainstream Democratic party line) about the Iraqi government enforcing benchmarks and so on. This Iraqi government can’t enforce anything….that’s precisely the issue. Well that and the fact that it’s a puppet government set up by the illegal invasion.
If Burner’s so smart, then why haven’t we seen any editorials from her in the local newspapers, or here on this site, or any insights from her that aren’t DLC style talking points?
If all Darcy Burnout can do is give knee-jerk responses, the Democrats could just send a robot to vote the way they want. Oh, wait- the ARE running a robot!.