Does the Democratic Party Leadership Want to Withdraw from Iraq or Win the War?

[unhappycamper]

Does the Democratic Party Leadership Want to Withdraw from Iraq or Win the War?
Michael Schwartz
Posted October 7, 2007 | 09:11 PM (EST)


If you are not already convinced that the Democratic party leadership supports the war and does not want to end it, this Washington Post poll should help you change your mind.

The Democratic Party leadership keeps saying that they cannot vote a reduction in the $190 billion supplemental war budget because the voters will turn against them for endangering the lives of the troops that are there.

The key finding in this poll is that exactly one-quarter of Americans want Congress to fully fund the 190 billion dollar supplemental budget for the war. Fully 70% want it reduced, with 46% want it dramatically reduced or eliminated altogether. Even 45% of Republicans want it reduced.

Not only that: most people think that the Democrats are not doing enough to oppose Bush's war policy. In fact, the evaluation of Congress has dropped 14 points since the Democrats took over, apparently because of inaction around the war.

All this shows that the U.S. electorate would certainly support a reduction and maybe even a drastic reduction in the war budget. Such a reduction could be used to hamstring the surge and force Bush to truly de-escalate, and perhaps withdraw.

And the Democrats would not have to worry about a veto, because if Bush vetoes the supplemental, he is vetoing the funding for the war. The Democrats can pass it again and then wait for him to sign it or withdraw the troops when the money runs out.


Rest of article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-schwartz/does-the-democratic-party_b_67503.html

[hobbit709]

It is NOT a war. It is an occupation.

And an illegal one at that.

[redqueen]

1. Anyone who is shocked should slap themselves.

But no, let's all listen to Nance.

Just vote for the candidate and shut the hell up.

[YOY]

2. IT. CAN'T. BE. WON.

Unless we start executing every last Iraqi it cannot and will not be won. They do not want us there. We are the outsiders. This is not post militocracy Japan.

[Lasher]

3. Win the war? What exactly would that look like?

Weren't we looking for WMDs or something?

[groovedaddy]

4. The Dem leaders are apparently out of touch with what the people want

Why?

[Enrique]

5. they want to solve the problem in Iraq

a necessary condition for the solution is winning this election and future elections.

[Fovea]

6. But supporting the occupation

cannot win re-election. That was true in 06, it will be far more true in 08.

So the question is, why do so many DLC dems seems not to get it?
Are the deaf? Or just bought and paid for?

[Enrique]

9. here's how the dems voted on Feingold-Reid

it doesn't break down so neatly.

Akaka (D-HI)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cardin (D-MD)
Clinton (D-NY)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---

Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Johnson (D-SD)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Salazar (D-CO)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)

[groovedaddy]

7. What, exactly, is the PROBLEM in Iraq that they want to solve?

Whatever the problem is, is it "solvable?"

[Enrique]

8. the problem is deciding what to do

the democratic primary campaign is shedding a little light onto some of the questions, such as the debate between Richardson and the others over whether we should withdraw all troops, and such as Biden's proposal to divide Iraq in three.

[Demeter]

11. Whose Problem?

The US Problem in Iraq is US made. The solution is to leave.

The Iraqi Problem in Iraq is a combination of history, British machinations, American machinations, Israeli machinations, and Religion.

If America got the hell out, and got Britain and Israel to back off, too, then the Iraqi problem would be wholly owned by Iraqis, and I am confident that they can, will, and want to deal with it themselves, as they should.

[groovedaddy]

12. Amen. So many here think it's our problem to solve

and conveniently ignore the will of the Iraqi people. Where is the "democracy" in that?

[Maribelle]

10. Bush's illegal war in Iraq will be a black mark on the collective souls of Americans for generations

The Democratic Party Leadership is totally aware of the facts behind the dire situation now facing all Iraqis - - and it's dire primarily because of the ineptitude of the President of The United States of America.

We caused it, we own it.

Are not humane conditions returning to Iraq contingent upon our government fixing this pig sty called Iraq which bush and cheney have created?

Should not the argument be:

are we -or- are we not responsible for fixing the hell-on-earth we imposed so violently on Iraqis?