Week Of Failure
Hey all, sorry I have been out of the office for a while. Combine some personal demands with the Democrats having a disastrous month last week, I had to take a little break. Now that I have taken a deep breath, I am ready to discuss the pathetic week for the Democratic Senate.
Last Tuesday: Democrats lost first meaningful vote of last week, when the Republicans filibustered the passage of a bill to provide DC a voting seat in the House of Representatives. Democrats support of this bill bothered me, since I have been convinced by the Keeler Report that it is unconstitutional. But what do the Dems care about the Constitution, since this Senate authorized Bush to wiretap without a warrant and without going to the FISA court.
Last Wednesday: Democrats failed to restore habeas corpus for those detained by the United States, after another Republican filibuster. I cannot comprehend why Republicans are bothered by habeas. Basically, all it would mean is to allow someone to ask a judge to review why they are being detained. What's the big deal? Every Democrat was united on this vote.
The next failed vote was an attempt to slowly begin a troop draw down. Senator Webb's proposal would demand troops spend as much time at home in the States as they spend in harms way, which would mean the troop levels in Iraq could not be sustained. Of course the Republicans opposed it......only they can support the troops by demanding they spend more time in danger. The good thing was that every Democrat was united on this vote. The bad thing was that it was a wimpy way to try to end the war.
Last Thursday: This was the most absurd and pathetic day for the Democrats since their takeover. For some reason, Democrats took the bait and debated a weeks old ad by Moveon.org that called out General Petraeus. Why Democrats felt the need to defend themselves for the conduct of Moveon is insane.
I mean, when was the last time you saw a Republican defending itself for the crazy comments of Ann Coulter? Nonetheless, Harry Reid allowed several votes on not condemning people negative talk about the military. This is just pathetic.
Next, a Russ Feingold measure to get most troops out of Iraq by July 2008 failed miserably. Almost half of the pathetic Democrats voted against ending the war. 20 Democrats are opposed to a real, serious timetable. A joke.
Last Friday: One more try at stopping the war failed. This modest measure started troop reduction after four more months of murder and death. Only 47 Senators supported this failed measure, which is less support than a similar proposal months earlier. Hence, support for the war is growing.
Wow. It was a bad week. Not one positive sign. I guess its nice they brought up Iraq and sort of debated it. But they lost ground and again failed to properly frame the issue. And they got caught up in Republican games with some dumb Moveon ad. This is sad.
Last Tuesday: Democrats lost first meaningful vote of last week, when the Republicans filibustered the passage of a bill to provide DC a voting seat in the House of Representatives. Democrats support of this bill bothered me, since I have been convinced by the Keeler Report that it is unconstitutional. But what do the Dems care about the Constitution, since this Senate authorized Bush to wiretap without a warrant and without going to the FISA court.
Last Wednesday: Democrats failed to restore habeas corpus for those detained by the United States, after another Republican filibuster. I cannot comprehend why Republicans are bothered by habeas. Basically, all it would mean is to allow someone to ask a judge to review why they are being detained. What's the big deal? Every Democrat was united on this vote.
The next failed vote was an attempt to slowly begin a troop draw down. Senator Webb's proposal would demand troops spend as much time at home in the States as they spend in harms way, which would mean the troop levels in Iraq could not be sustained. Of course the Republicans opposed it......only they can support the troops by demanding they spend more time in danger. The good thing was that every Democrat was united on this vote. The bad thing was that it was a wimpy way to try to end the war.
Last Thursday: This was the most absurd and pathetic day for the Democrats since their takeover. For some reason, Democrats took the bait and debated a weeks old ad by Moveon.org that called out General Petraeus. Why Democrats felt the need to defend themselves for the conduct of Moveon is insane.
I mean, when was the last time you saw a Republican defending itself for the crazy comments of Ann Coulter? Nonetheless, Harry Reid allowed several votes on not condemning people negative talk about the military. This is just pathetic.Next, a Russ Feingold measure to get most troops out of Iraq by July 2008 failed miserably. Almost half of the pathetic Democrats voted against ending the war. 20 Democrats are opposed to a real, serious timetable. A joke.
Last Friday: One more try at stopping the war failed. This modest measure started troop reduction after four more months of murder and death. Only 47 Senators supported this failed measure, which is less support than a similar proposal months earlier. Hence, support for the war is growing.
Wow. It was a bad week. Not one positive sign. I guess its nice they brought up Iraq and sort of debated it. But they lost ground and again failed to properly frame the issue. And they got caught up in Republican games with some dumb Moveon ad. This is sad.
By Chuck - 9/26/2007
37 Comments:
Harry Reid must go. So do a lot of these Democrats.
And I am going to lose it the next time some right-wing hack says all I do is support the party line.
quiet down you party hack
I agree, Harry Reid must go.
Once again the Republicans have manuevered the debate to the point of making the Democratic faithful believe that congressional Democrats are failures.
Bullshit.
As long lock-step Republicans continue to support the war in spite of their better judgement, there will continue to be stalemates. But keep in mind, every time there is a vote, these assholes are on the record.
That record can and should be used against them in 2008.
The good thing is that MoveOn raised over $500,000 (12,000 donors) the day after that ridiculous Senate vote. That's the most they've raised in one day this year.
It highlights the disconnect between American citizens and our politicians. We want the truth, and we want an end to the war. The politicians are satisfied with rhetoric.
Amen, Chuck.
menck,
okay, but the biggest problem is that Democrats are growing in support of the war. A handful opposed any drawdown. Almost half support staying thru next year.
Democrats are not even united on this basic issue.
20 of 30 Democrats support continuing the war thru next year???? That is a failure of will and principle....at least in the Senate.
dawg, funny
The truth about the whole issue is that it cant be put in absolute terms of leaving or staying.
More like : We cant Stay and we cant leave
Today's American political arena where the Iraq issue is being dealt with is as effective as allowing coyotes to process your deer.
That said, look for a long while of involvement there and possibly a Vietnam style "withdrawal" with a political cover sham
"You will be just fine Georgie Boy!" " Just hang on until you can dump this lousy war into the next president's lap"
Karl Rove's last advice before resigning
"The good thing is that MoveOn raised over $500,000 (12,000 donors) the day after that ridiculous Senate vote. That's the most they've raised in one day this year. "
Yeah, nothing like running a shameful ad in order to drum up media coverage and then cash in on it!
Chuck thanks for the DC props
Petraeus is selling out his own troops to provide cover for Bush's ass. What else would you call what Petraeus is doing Ben?
I mean since when is calling a spade a spade shameful?
Menck, you could say that, but I think its more like Petraus is following the commander's orders. Too bad the orders are so much bullshit and the commander is a candyass deserter.
Thank you Mencken.
Once again you have used your unique ability to look inside a person and decide what they really think and why they do what they do.
Thank you Fred.
Once again you have used your unique ability to be very condescending, while being a sad supporter of obvious BS.
Previously to Bush promoting him, Petraeus wrote counterinsurgency field manual. Under his past assessment we would need hundreds of thousands MORE troops to stop the mess in Iraq. Now he has suddenly, for no valid reason, changed that claim and says this lighter force works.
Call it whatever you want, but he is full of it.
Petey. Other generals have openly contradicted Bush.
Petraeus given the opportunity to set the record straight, only bothered to contradict his own statements. Call that what you will.
Fred, it was only yesterday that you were attempting to put words in my mouth. Double up on the ginkoba, buddy.
Ben, a check of the records shows that it was your soul brother # 1 Limbaugh who came up with the
Betrayus play on words, when he called Chuck Hagel "Senator Betrayus" BEFORE the MOVEON ad.
No recollection of you calling that draft dodger Limbaugh shameless for calling a Viet Nam vet such a thing.
Just read this and my Bullshit alarm went to level red:
Petraeus is just Bush's point man
September 25, 2007
Enlisted men in the armed services had a saying: "There's the right way, the wrong way and the Army way!" Then there's the acronym SNAFU: "Situation normal all fouled up!" "Fouled" was really the "f" word but let's not quibble. These GI complaints came to mind while I watched the testimony of General Petraeus. We, as a society, have come to a sad point when our foreign policy is left up to generals who rose to the top by never saying no to their superior's orders.
Those officers who had the moral integrity to do so, like General Shinseki and others, can kiss their military careers goodbye. How many Americans remember General Westmoreland's infamous evaluation of the Vietnam war: "There's a light at the end of the tunnel!" Westmoreland said this just before the TET offensive which turned the war in favor of the Viet Cong. And then there was the charge that Westmoreland distorted the enemy body count to put a more positive face on the war.
Watching Petraeus bob and weave to the questions, I couldn't help feeling an intense deja vu. Recall that Petraeus screwed up in 2004 when he reported, "Iraq's security forces were making tangible progress and developing steadily!" He lied. But it was six weeks before the election. See how it works?
What about General Powell's lying U.N. speech? The New York Times characterized the lack of integrity among these high officers as "an overly honed sense of a soldier's duty." In translation, that means go along and get along.
By being complicit in Bush's illegal war, Powell and Petraeus have blood on their hands. One of the protestors at the Petraeus hearing held up a sign: Generals lie – soldiers die! Two-thirds of the families of the troops in Iraq (the ones making the sacrifices while we at home shop) when polled, said Bush's conduct of the war was incompetent.
Seven solders serving in Iraq wrote in an Op-Ed piece in The New York Times, "As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd airborne we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day."
Sadly, two of the men who authored the article were killed shortly after. These are the guys who should be advising the president, not the garishly beribboned brass behind whom our sniveling, cowardly President is hiding to prolong the war until the election. The idea is for the Republicans to blame Bush's probably Democratic successor for losing the war. The bloody consequences of this strategy seems not to matter.
We in Vermont are fortunate in having a congressional delegation – Leahy, Sanders and Welch – who will push for ending funding in a way to bring our troops home safely. Regrettably, our loyal Republican governor tacitly support's Bush's policies with his silence.
Al Salzman
Fairfield
talk about spineless...how about the debate where Clinton, Obama, and Edwards were asked if they would have all troops out of Iraq not next year, not 2009, but 2013, and they could not say yes..this is why more and more people consider themselves independants
Alright Mencken if you want to me to condemn Limabugh for whatever I will if you say the ad against a leading US general should be condemned - also a Vietnam Veteran. If you are so worked up about these things, you would want it both ways, no?
Maybe he does have a reason, Chuck, for his new thinking. Maybe Petraeus thinks the new strategy is working. Out of fear of being labeled condescending, I wont pretend to know what he or anyone else is thinking.
chuck your logic - fred "condescending" for saying what he thinks mencken is thinking based on past comments
you (and really all of you involved in this thread) - okay to determine what petraeus is thinking for real based on past behavior / statements, basicaly calling him a liar
makes perfect sense.
The fact that Hagel and Petraeus are both vets doesn't give them a pass on telling the truth.
Just because a guy like Duke Cunningham was a Viet Nam war hero and ace didn't preclude him from being prosecuted as a criminal later in life.
As it stands now, Hagel's credibility is much better than the general's. Petraeus will go the way of Colin Powell, who given the opportunity to tell the truth choose not to, and then are faced with trying to salvage their reputation for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile American soldiers and Iraqi civilians die while guys like Petraeus blow smoke up the American public's ass to protect Bush's
unsalvageable legacy.
amen
Mencken, I think the generals who have spoken out against the war have all been retired. I don't think any of the active generals have done so because they are not allowed to.
Kyle, I'm not expecting Petraeus to criticize the war which was a political decision, not a military
one. And you're right, generals who spoke out were retired or soon to be.
But what should we think of a general who expects his soldiers to risk their lives in battle for a now obvious failed political ideology, when he won't even risk his job by simply telling the truth ?
maybe i am a mind reader, because i have been following this war and the Bush lie machine long enough to know what Petreaus is thinking: he is thinking, I need to say crap to make my boss happy.
and being condescending isn't that bad. there are a lot worse things to be when disagreeing.
Mencken, I take that as a no to my offer.
It's my opinion that there is more mendacity in what Petraeus is saying than what Hagel is saying,
so no Ben, no deal.
I also never endorsed Moveon's ad so I don't feel like I'm duty bound to defend them. The ad doesn't mean shit to a tree anyway. And neither does Rush Limbaugh except to the mouth breathers that prefer to have someone else tell them what to think.
Chuck,
The issue is not which is better, his original estimate of troops needed vs. what he has. The question is his view of the "surge" and his prediction for the future. If it makes me condescending to admit that I cant read someones mind then put me in that category.
i am a mind reader
well i never endorsed what Limabugh said. i never heard of it. i am sure media matters or someone like that dug it up for you, they do 97% of the work for left wing blogs.
but you are practicaly saying the attack on petraeus is fine because you agree with the attack, but the one on hagel is not fine because you dont agree with it. so shameless attacks on Vietnam Veterans (you brought this fact up) on those you dont agree with are cool.
thank you for clearing it up. brutal personal attacks are fine with you if you are in agreement, no matter who the person is.
Ben, I don't recall "practically" saying anything. Nobody has to guess what I'm thinking here.
You link to Limbaugh's site. That's an endorsement. Yes or no ? Or is that just a technique to drive traffic to your site?
Petraeus contradicted his own statements on Iraq.
What are we to make of that?
Hagel isn't exactly a lefty is he? If he has some criticisms of our Iraq policy I think it's safe to say it might be worth listening to.
And anytime you think Media Matters is wrong about something and can prove it... this would be a great place to let everyone know about it.
I mean, that's what real political bloggers do...
right ? I won't hold my breath.
Hagel and Webb are both worth listening to about military matters
wow gold cheap wow gold buy wow gold world of warcraft gold wow world of warcraft wow gold WoW Warrior WoW Hunter WoW Rogue WoW Paladin WoW Shaman WoW Priest WoW Mage WoW Druid WoW Warlock power leveling powerleveling wow power leveling wow powerleveling wow guides wow tips google排名 google左侧排名 google排名服务 百度推广 百度排名 网站推广 商业吧 机床 LED灯 电池 塑料 摄像机 移民 甲醇 染料 福州热线 体育博客 股票博客 游戏博客 魔兽博客 考试博客 汽车博客 房产博客 电脑博客 powerlin518 logo design website design web design 商标设计
runescape money runescape gold tibia gold runescape accounts runescape gp buy runescape gold tibia gold tibia money buy runescape money runescape items
hy同声翻译 同声传译 会议设备租赁 同声翻译设备 文件柜 论文发表 同声传译设备租赁 同声传译 表决器租赁 更衣柜 论文发表 会议设备租赁
升降机 升降平台 登车桥 升降机 铝合金升降机 液压机械 升降台 高空作业平台 升降机 升降平台 无缝管 升降平台 弹簧 升降机 数据恢复 升降机 RAID数据恢复 北京心理咨询 服务器数据恢复 液压升降机 无缝钢管 升降平台 博客 升降机 Google排名 网站优化 心理咨询 升降机 升降平台
Cheap WoW Gold, World Of Warcraft Gold,the best WoW PowerLeveling and other MMORPG Power LevelingWOW Gold WOWGold World Of Warcraft Gold WOW Power Leveling WOW PowerLeveling World Of Warcraft Power Leveling World Of Warcraft PowerLeveling
Our company's products are Gas Alarm,Gas Detector,Breathalyser,Breathalyzer,Alcohol Tester,Co Alarm.Breathalyzer Gas Alarm Breathalyser Co Alarm Co Detector Alcohol Tester Alcohol Tester Gas Detector Please select one of our product categories to find out more.
gg
Post a Comment
<< Home