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March 27, 2007
Porky Pig in Congress
Don Surber has a list of the appropriations in the Senate Iraq spending bill. When one of your antiwar friends gloats about how the new Democratic congress is carrying forward the will of the citizens, remind them how much pork the Dems had to hand out to get the necessary votes. Including $100m for both 08 presidential conventions.
And even then the vote was 50-48.
What I find most disgusting are the rationales:
Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska broke with most of his Republican colleagues in endorsing a timetable and opposing the Cochran amendment. “There will be no victory or defeat for the United States in Iraq,” Mr. Hagel said. “There will not be a military solution to Iraq.”“Iraq belongs to the 25 million Iraqis who live there,” Mr. Hagel said. “It doesn’t belong to the United States.”
What a non-sequitor. When we finally get serious about eliminating the gangs which torture and blow up innocent people, so that Iraqis can have enough confidence in us to take a stand against those groups - that means Iraq "belongs to the United States"? And “There will not be a military solution to Iraq." Well, Mr Hagel, you are doing your best to make it so.
And then there is Congressman Cadaver:
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, played down the veto threat. In a speech on the Senate floor on Monday, Mr. Reid said the president was on the wrong side of public opinion.“He can swagger all he wants,” Mr. Reid said, “but we have 3,241 dead Americans.”
Mr Reid would never ask the troops what they think about their 3241 dead comrades, because if he did he would find out that they want to finish the job so those deaths will not have been in vain.
Hagel again:
"This idea that somehow you don't support the troops if you continue in a lemming-like way to accept whatever this administration's policy is -- that is what's wrong," he said, "and that is dangerous."
Ask. The troops. What they think. Support. Is. If you don't want to take their advice, then at least don't claim to speak for them.
I know this is how politicians orate. I can still think it's despicable.
But there is plenty of blame to go around. One reason Iraq is still such a mess is that we have been afraid to truly occupy Iraq and enforce civil order, while training up a new government and military. We have been too eager to hand over control to the Iraqis too soon for fear of being seen as colonizers. If this bill forces the Administration to get tough enough to decisively tip the balance against the bad guys before the supposed deadline - good. And there is still time to do something about Iran to weaken its ability to destabilize Iraq.
Judith | 03/27/07 at 07:36 PM | Categories: - Iraq
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