We will start with the Boehner Statement Opposing Democrats' Road Map for Terrorists:
WASHINGTON, DC – Today House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) responded to the latest proposal by House Democrats explicitly designed to hamstring the ability of American troops to succeed in the Global War on Terror:
“General Petraeus, not Speaker Pelosi or John Murtha, should be making military decisions based on conditions on the ground. Democrats are using a critical troop funding bill to micromanage the war on terror, undermine our generals on the ground, and slowly choke off resources for our troops. Under the guise of supporting our troops, Democrats are actually mandating their failure.
“By establishing – and telegraphing to our enemy – arbitrary timelines for withdrawal, Democrats are providing little more than a road map for terrorists, a tool they will use to plot their maneuvers against American forces. Tying equipment and resources to a series of conditions and expectations amounts to little more than a revised version of the previous ‘slow-bleed’ strategy supported by Democratic Leaders. Democrats have made it clear that whether or not our troops are able to meet Democrats’ expectations, their funding and resources will dry up. Choking off resources for our troops is tantamount to handing the enemy victory itself.
“Republicans will continue to stand united behind our generals and our troops for victory in the global war on terror, and will oppose Democrats’ road map for terrorists. We will not jeopardize the safety and security of American families, or that of those to come in future generations, by giving our generals and our troops anything less than our full and unfettered support.”
NOTE: This morning, General Petraeus briefed congressional leaders from Baghdad live via satellite feed, providing them with an assessment of the situation on the ground, outlining the successes of the new plan to date, and some of the challenges that lie ahead. Not a single Democratic Leader from the House attended to receive the General’s first progress report.
Now for the climatic (NOT) new plan that everyone has breathlessly waited for:
Democratic Leaders Announce Iraq, Veterans Proposal
WASHINGTON – Today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI), Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D-PA), and Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) held a press conference to announce a response to the President’s war time supplemental funding request.
Their proposal would:
* Redirect more resources to the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan,
* Attack the neglect of returning troops and veterans who are badly in need of healthcare, and
* Set a timeline for bringing the United States participation in Iraq’s civil war to an end.
America needs to be fighting the right war in the right place. This proposal would add $1.2 billion to the President’s request to fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
It adds three and a half billion dollars to end the disgraceful neglect of our soldiers who have answered their country’s call and now have a right to call upon their country to provide them with the tools they need to overcome their injuries and reclaim their lives. It focuses funds on traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, and improving our military hospitals and veterans hospitals to avoid the disgraceful problems that have occurred at Walter Reed.
To deal with other needs of our troops, the bill provides an additional:
* $1.4 billion to fully cover the shortfall in funds for the Basic Allowance for Housing, and
* $3.1 billion to fully fund 2007 needs for Base Realignment and Closure.
In order to minimize the burdens and maximize the security of our troops, the proposal would direct the President to adhere to the military’s own basic guidelines for:
* Unit readiness,
* Length of time they can be deployed in Iraq, and
* The time they are entitled to remain at home before they return.
The bill grants the President the authority to depart from his own military’s guidelines- all he has to do is give himself a waiver and face the country with a report explaining why.
To pressure Iraqi leaders to make the compromises necessary to end the chaos that has resulted from their lack of performance to date, the proposal establishes a timeline for ending U.S. participation in Iraq’s civil war.
* By July 1st, 2007 the President must certify that Iraq is making meaningful and substantial progress in meeting political and military benchmarks including a militia disarmament program and a plan that equitably shares oil revenues among all Iraqi factions. If he does not certify - troops must begin immediate redeployment and U.S. troop involvement in the Iraq civil war must be completed by December 2007 (180 days).
* By October 1st, the President must certify that Iraqis have achieved key benchmarks. If he does not make the second certification, troops must begin immediate redeployment to be completed by March of 2008 (180 days).
* Even if he makes both certifications, the Administration must start redeploying the U.S. Military from Iraq by March 1, 2008, and complete the redeployment by August of 2008 (180 days).
In addition to Iraq, the proposal includes:
* $2.5 billion to address urgent homeland security needs including aviation (explosive detection systems, advanced passenger screening, and air cargo screening), port, container and border security, and
* $1 billion for pandemic flu preparedness, to begin the purchase of vaccines needed to protect us from a global pandemic.
On the domestic front, the bill addresses a number of needs that the administration has left unmet including:
* $2.9 billion of additional funding for Gulf Coast recovery efforts,
* State Children’s Health Insurance Program, $735 million to eliminate shortfalls in 14 states, fully offset in accordance with pay-go rules,
* $400 million to partially restore cuts in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program,
* Wildfire Suppression activities, $500 million, at the Forest Service and Interior Department and
* a scaled down, reformed agriculture disaster program, $4.3 billion, that would only assist those farmers who have met their responsibility to purchase crop assistance.
This bill meets every possible obligation for our troops, and most importantly, in contrast to the President who would leave us with an open ended obligation, it sets clear benchmarks, with a responsible and orderly timeline for ending U.S. military participation in the Iraqi civil war.
These people are such a joke and if they weren't so damn hard pressed to assure our failure and endager our troops as well as embolden the enemy, I might even laugh, but they are doing thier best to force us to retreat in defeat without doing it aboveboard in a way that the laws have set up for them.... defunding.
They are cowards and are finally being seen in their true light and colors for all the world to witness.
Good.
Then, of course, Harry Reid is also looking to get publicly spanked again with the Joint Resolution To Transition The Mission In Iraq, which they unvelied today and which will die the same death the others did because he refuses to allow a "full" debate on Iraq and wishes to limit it or block it totally.... good luck there you sniveling little coward.
If they think for a second this piece of drivel with make it past the Senate without allowing the debate to include the Gregg resolution... then the joke is on them.
Notice that they care SO much that not a single one of them actually attended to receive the General Petraeus's first progress report on Iraq.
Politics as usual. Claim to care, worry about keeping the far left happy, throw a bone to the blue dogs and watch it die in the Senate, blame the Republicans and continue playing this game with our soldiers lives and thier funding.
Please also note this part of the proposal:
* $2.9 billion of additional funding for Gulf Coast recovery efforts,
* State Children’s Health Insurance Program, $735 million to eliminate shortfalls in 14 states, fully offset in accordance with pay-go rules,
* $400 million to partially restore cuts in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program,
* Wildfire Suppression activities, $500 million, at the Forest Service and Interior Department and
* a scaled down, reformed agriculture disaster program, $4.3 billion, that would only assist those farmers who have met their responsibility to purchase crop assistance.
All that is well and good but how is it related to the war on terror OR the reconstruction in Iraq?
It doesn't...it is simply another game that Pelosi and the rest of her yellow bellied friends are playing in a time of war.
I am glad the blue dog democrats are scorning her...she deserves it. She has no common sense, no loyalty to our soldiers and from her great start at speaker with the Hoyer/Murtha debacle has shown she has no leadership abilities either.
Her own party is losing respect for her, the republicans have none for her because they see her for what she is and now her far left voters are also noticing that she had no way to back up her campaign promises.
Because Republicans have stood remarkably united against the Democratic effort, the loss of just a handful of Democratic votes could lead to an embarrassing public defeat. At least a dozen of the 43 conservative "Blue Dogs," who worry about the "soft-on-defense" stigma that has haunted the party, could bolt if Democrats move toward withdrawal too aggressively. But dozens of antiwar Democrats say they cannot support legislation that is too meek.
"There's a fine line that I hope will not be blurred between micromanaging the war and assuring accountability," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth (S.D.), a Blue Dog leader. "I don't think we should be overreacting to public opinion polls."
[...]
"It's still micromanaging the war," Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) said.
Conservative Democrats fear the charge, still lodged by some Vietnam veterans, that that war could have been won had the politicians not intervened. More than anything else, many Democrats want to leave Bush responsible for ending the war he started.
These comments are from Democrats.... we Republicans haven't even started yet!!!
As the NYT points out:
The decision to impose conditions on the war risks a major confrontation with the Bush administration and its Republican allies in Congress.
But without a unified party, the Democratic leadership faced the possibility of a highly embarrassing defeat when the spending legislation reaches a vote, likely later this month.
I am kind of glad though that the Democrats did so well in the 2006 elections, because at this rate, they are proving already how weak and cowardly they are that they will never be trusted with our National Security in 2008.
All they have to do is more of what they are trying to do now...force defeat in Iraq when we, the troops and the MSM are finally seeing and reporting on the successful start of the new security operations.
I have said it before and I will say it again. The Yellow Dog Democrats are the enemies BEST hope for winning this war on terror and it looks like the Blue Dog Democrats want no part of being tarred by the Pelosi defeat in retreat brush.
Good for them.
Remember to contact your senators consistently and respectfully to remind them that we will not contribute nor vote nor campaign for any white flag republicans. (That link will provide you with all their email/phone and fax numbers)
This post is a followup on the one from this morning found here.
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