DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS ON IRAQ, THE ENERGIZER BUNNY AND FUTILE EFFORTS
Democrats and their Iraq war bills have moved from redundant to ridiculous and now absurd. Last week the House under the , "brilliant, " leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi narrowly passed yet another in a long line of troop withdrawal, (surrender), bills calling for American forces to be out of Iraq within 120 days.
Now in an equally futile move Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is calling for a marathon session of the Senate to debate a similar withdrawal, (surrender), bill then force a vote by Thursday. All the while knowing that the President will VETO the bill and that there are not enough votes to override that VETO. That is provided that the bill is passed and survives a promised filibuster by the GOP Minority.
What makes this so frustrating is that like the Energizer Bunny, Democrats just keep going and going and going over and over again with the same move, the same motions, the same rhetoric and the same falsehoods and exaggerations over Iraq. All coming to the same conclusion and waisting the taxpayers time and money.
Unlike the Energizer Bunny who keeps going and going advertising a battery that claims to last longer than others, Democrats and their futile efforts with these continual Iraq withdrawal, (surrender), bills keep going and going and going for the sake of going and spewing the same slime before the cameras in an effort to smear the President, the troops and their continual denial that terrorism is a threat to the nation.
The President has stated that he will not only VETO any legislation that comes to his desk calling for a withdrawal, (surrender), of troops but that he is waiting for the September report by General Petraeus which will outline in detail the progress of the troop increase and the Maliki Government. In other words, " let the commanders do their job."
Democrats have been hounding the President and military leaders over the, "surge, " since it was announced and began their failure rhetoric even before the first troops had left for Iraq. Within days after the announcement of the , "surge, " Democrats were claiming the it was not working even though it had not at that time even started.
Since then it has been a nearly daily barrage of similar failure rhetoric despite reports to the contrary. The interim report released last week cited several very successful results in security, training and the control of many provinces that had been marred by terrorist violence. Additionally the report cited that Al Qaeda was weaker in Iraq since the surge began in earnest.
Deputy Commander of the Multinational Forces U.K. Army Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb stated during a press briefing that tremendous progress has been made since the surge began and that progress was continuing.
The Maliki Government has fallen short of its goals for the same period but that does not mean that progress from the stand point of military action is a failure as Democrats are trying to portray. It also stands to reason that with security improving the fledgling government can make progress as a result.
While Maliki is weak and many state that the United States is backing a futile effort with the current Iraq government, it is still the duly ELECTED government of Iraq and it is not our place to remove or replace said government. That is the will and responsibility of the Iraqi people.
So now Democrats once again tie up the Congress with days of political grand standing over Iraq. They will again send another useless bill to the President's desk which will be VETOED followed immediately by Harry Reid and company standing before the cameras crying foul and whining about their championing of the American people.
Only to have the same process start all over again at the end of the month or the first of August as another appropriations bill comes before the Congress. I am truly surprised that Congressional approval is at 14% and not considerably lower with the lackluster performance of Congressional Democrats who have done nothing since January except endless futile withdrawal, (surrender), bills and hearings that also find no end.
This Congress lead by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will go down in United States history as the most , "do nothing, " Congress in the 231 years of our existence as a Nation. We are only six months into the two years that this pack of Democrats will wield Congressional power. Since their opposition to the President, failure in Iraq and investigate anything that breaths agenda has become painfully obvious, the , "do nothings, " will keep going and going and going!
Ken Taylor
Now in an equally futile move Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is calling for a marathon session of the Senate to debate a similar withdrawal, (surrender), bill then force a vote by Thursday. All the while knowing that the President will VETO the bill and that there are not enough votes to override that VETO. That is provided that the bill is passed and survives a promised filibuster by the GOP Minority.
What makes this so frustrating is that like the Energizer Bunny, Democrats just keep going and going and going over and over again with the same move, the same motions, the same rhetoric and the same falsehoods and exaggerations over Iraq. All coming to the same conclusion and waisting the taxpayers time and money.
Unlike the Energizer Bunny who keeps going and going advertising a battery that claims to last longer than others, Democrats and their futile efforts with these continual Iraq withdrawal, (surrender), bills keep going and going and going for the sake of going and spewing the same slime before the cameras in an effort to smear the President, the troops and their continual denial that terrorism is a threat to the nation.
The President has stated that he will not only VETO any legislation that comes to his desk calling for a withdrawal, (surrender), of troops but that he is waiting for the September report by General Petraeus which will outline in detail the progress of the troop increase and the Maliki Government. In other words, " let the commanders do their job."
Democrats have been hounding the President and military leaders over the, "surge, " since it was announced and began their failure rhetoric even before the first troops had left for Iraq. Within days after the announcement of the , "surge, " Democrats were claiming the it was not working even though it had not at that time even started.
Since then it has been a nearly daily barrage of similar failure rhetoric despite reports to the contrary. The interim report released last week cited several very successful results in security, training and the control of many provinces that had been marred by terrorist violence. Additionally the report cited that Al Qaeda was weaker in Iraq since the surge began in earnest.
Deputy Commander of the Multinational Forces U.K. Army Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb stated during a press briefing that tremendous progress has been made since the surge began and that progress was continuing.
The Maliki Government has fallen short of its goals for the same period but that does not mean that progress from the stand point of military action is a failure as Democrats are trying to portray. It also stands to reason that with security improving the fledgling government can make progress as a result.
While Maliki is weak and many state that the United States is backing a futile effort with the current Iraq government, it is still the duly ELECTED government of Iraq and it is not our place to remove or replace said government. That is the will and responsibility of the Iraqi people.
So now Democrats once again tie up the Congress with days of political grand standing over Iraq. They will again send another useless bill to the President's desk which will be VETOED followed immediately by Harry Reid and company standing before the cameras crying foul and whining about their championing of the American people.
Only to have the same process start all over again at the end of the month or the first of August as another appropriations bill comes before the Congress. I am truly surprised that Congressional approval is at 14% and not considerably lower with the lackluster performance of Congressional Democrats who have done nothing since January except endless futile withdrawal, (surrender), bills and hearings that also find no end.
This Congress lead by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will go down in United States history as the most , "do nothing, " Congress in the 231 years of our existence as a Nation. We are only six months into the two years that this pack of Democrats will wield Congressional power. Since their opposition to the President, failure in Iraq and investigate anything that breaths agenda has become painfully obvious, the , "do nothings, " will keep going and going and going!
Ken Taylor
posted by The Liberal Lie The Conservative Truth | 10:16 AM
13 Comments:
The Dems cannot end the war without Republicans joining them. There are a growing number who recognize the foolishness of trying to referee a civil war and defending the corrupt and largely impotent Maliki government.
While our soldiers die in August, the Iraqi government is planning on taking the month off. How are they supposed to accomplish anything if they are not meeting?
These Congressional votes are an effort to try to end Bush's failure in Iraq. I don't expect much to happen until the later part of this year, when we will see larger numbers of Republicans recognize the failure and the fact that they have to answer to voters in 2008.
Dems are too cowardly to stand up for their position.
The problem is that they need GOP votes to cover their ass when the worst happens and Iraq turns into a mess that makes the present difficulty look more like the quagmire of gang warfare in Los Angeles (can we say pull out now from LA?).
Just as it was with the Congressional call to pull the plug in Vietnam, Democrats will never allow themselves to be held accountable for the aftermath.
And for people who constantly berate President Bush for not doing a better job of planning for post invasion Iraq that strikes me as hypocritical in the extreme.
No wonder Democrats have taken Congress to the lowest low in every opinion poll.
They voted for a change in strategy with the overwhelming confirmation of General Petraeus and are now cutting him off at the knees just when his plan is in full swing.
Dems, both in congress and on blogs like this are despicable!
I have to agree with Mike. Just as the surge is reaching full deployment, now they want to cut and run agian.
Despite the reports coming out of Iraq by our forces and even British commanders that the troop surge is having an amazing effect. They cannot wait until September like General Petraeus told them they needed to do.
Maybe they are acting like this now due to the good news coming out of Iraq on how effective this new strategy has been. They obviously cannot allow us to win. They must stop this before the success of this troops surge gets out of hand. They cannot allow our troops to complete their mission because it would prove them wrong and the utter cowards that they are.
The troop escalation plan is fully funded and won't be cut short. However, the idea that it is having amazing effects and is actually doing something is wishful thinking at best.
The level of violence remains exceptionally high, which is why so many Republicans are recognizing that the surge is not working.
The Dems can end the war in the House, but don't have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. They also have to have 2/3 majorities in both Houses to overcome a presidential veto. That is why they need Republicans - not because they are cowardly or simply need political cover.
In the end, Republicans will join with Dems and put an end to Bush's incompetent and highly unsuccessful Iraqi misadventure. The form of the final bill that is passed is yet to be determined, but by the end of the year we will see the Congress pass bi-partisan legislation that is veto-proof. Just wait and see.
Actually, this all might work out, intended or not, to be a first class Democrat strategy.
Knowing they are totally incapable of producing any positive legislation on any major issues to speak of, thus rendering their entire Congressional majority utterly useless as an element of proactive government, they avoid that which they are paid to do and concentrate on the only thing they know how to do: Attack the Bush Administration.
Attempting repeatedly to pass bills that they know Bush will only veto anyway is as good a way as any of killing time to hide their inability to govern -- sure beats doing hundreds of crossword puzzles a week, I suppose -- until one of their own sits in the White House.
However, winning the 2008 POTUS election while maintaining their majority on the Hill would only seal their fate, if not the country's -- they would have nobody but themselves to lay the blame on for the endless string of economic, social, legal and terrorism-related tragedies that would be sure to mark their PC, surrender-at-all-costs, socialist, hate America dogmas.
Actually they cannot end the war in the House or in the Senate without cutting funding. Congress does not have the constitutional power to direct military operations, period.
Oh, and let's not listen to the Generals on the ground in Iraq who actually say they troop surge is being effective. Yeah, let's just pretend that those statements from Major General Rick Lynch (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/world/middleeast/16commander.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) and General Peter Pace (http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3384579). I am sure those individuals know nothing of which they speak.
Congress should stick to doing the job that the constitution directs them to do. Pass laws pertaining to issues within the borders of this country and stay out of matter concerning foreign policy and military operation. If they want to stop the operations, the only legal way afforded them is to cease funding it. They do not have the balls to do that, because abandoning our troops when they are deployed is tanamount to political suicide.
Let's just pretend those statement don't exist is what that was supposed to say. Grrr. Why the hell can't you edit comments.
CC - let's assume that the Congress cut funding off. Bush is so stubborn that he may leave the troops in theater and then for political reasons blame Congress.
What Congress is trying to do is to pass veto-proof legislation that sets a timetable for withdrawal. Then, if Bush fails to properly plan for withdrawal in an orderly fashion then he would be breaking the law.
Simply cutting off troop funding is not a guarantee that they would be redeployed out of Iraq with this President. On top of that, it is not good policy to use such a haphazard method to end our occupation.
All that said, when September rolls around and violence is still unacceptably high, no political gains have been made in Iraq, and more American soldiers have died for nothing, there will be enough Republicans who say "ENOUGH!" At that point, there will be a bipartisan vote in the Congress that effectively will bring an end to our occupation.
Rob, Congres can pass no such law which would bind the President to any such action. The very concept of it is unconstitutional and a direct violation of seperation of powers.
Their only legal option is their powers of the purse.
This was one big Publicity Stunt by the Democrats.
This whole thing was designed to "Blame the Republicans" when the Democrats voted along side Republicans to send our Troops into harm's way.
This move will cost them big time. People are beginning to see what this Democrat Congress is up too.
Amazing they vote to send our Troops into harms way, then try like hell to jerk the rug out from underneath them.
It's time for a brand new Congress!!
CC - Congress can approve funds and stipulate that the funds are to be used for deployment of troops out of theater.
The Congress did just that to fund redeployment of troops out of Somalia. They passed funds that were specifically to be used for the extrication of forces from Somalia.
I expect something similar will be done later this year.
Vati Vati
Vati = Vote Against The Incumbents.
[That's v-a-t-i, with a long A and a long I.]
The present state of America makes me sick. It actually makes me nauseous to ponder how far this once magnificent country has slipped into mediocrity. When I was a young man, fifty years ago, you could mention just about anything: And America was best at that. Back then, America enjoyed the best health care, the best schools, and the best working conditions on Earth, while we worked fewer hours, made more money, and enjoyed a life style never before seen upon this planet.
Our coal mines were producing more coal, our steel-mills smelting more iron, and our assembly-lines led the World in the manufacture of beautiful automobiles, refrigerators, wash-machines, dryers, and the hoard of smaller appliances and gadgets (which eliminated most of the drudgery of our daily chores) and introduced mankind to the life-of-ease, we all now enjoy. Now, American High School Graduates rank only average (whether tested in Mathematics, World History, Language, Science or any other critical field of expertise) and compared with the student's test scores, from the other industrialized nations.
Our so-called health care system stinks, it is without question, the most dysfunctional conglomeration of nonsensical laws bureaucrats have ever assembled. It assures illegal aliens and greedy politicians unlimited free health care, while it renders millions of hard working honest citizens incapable of obtaining any kind of health insurance. The new Social Security Drug Plan deducts a premium for drug insurance, which you can bet will double every year (for at least the next two years) from the social security checks, of subscribers. A great many drugs are not covered by this new plan, and it only pays a maximum of about 70% on any drug, a lot less on most. When the total drug bill (what the retiree and the government pays) reaches $2250.00, Grandma gets cut off, has to pay it all herself, until her total drug bill reaches $3500.00. Obviously if Grandma can not afford her drugs, her bill will never get to $3500.00, so she will go without her drugs for the rest of the year. Of course the monthly premium will still be deducted from her Social Security Check. The drug companies formulated this drug bill, got it enacted, and only the drug companies are going to benefit from it. (Our government gives them the premiums.) In short, this Shaft Our Grandparents Bill is nothing but a multi-million dollar windfall for the drug companies.
The above bill is sure not the worst medical bill our elected officials have ever enacted. It just happens to be the last that made me angry. Hundreds of anti consumer bills and amendments are on the books, which benefit only the medical and/or the drug industries. Foreign competition to American Drug Companies is nonexistent. If it was legitimatized, we could import drugs from reputable foreign drug facilities, for as little as 10% of the extortion we now forced to pay our American Drug Companies. Sad to say, but the Medical Cartels and Drug Companies, with their unchallenged power, are not the worst villains when it comes to manipulating our US Government [or our state governments] into giving them a license to gouge us. The international oil and gas conglomerates, the interstate utility companies, railroad companies, automobile and airplane manufacturers, the cable companies, international shipping cartels and a score of other business concerns all wield as much or more power over our Congress, Senate and President, than the drug companies do. Big Business is our real enemy. Big Business controls our government, and Big Business is the real reason America is losing ground on all fronts, the reason America is steadily slipping into mediocrity.
The companies mentioned above, along with a score of Countries and a hoard of other mighty financial cartels, funnel billions of dollars, pac-money, annually into Washington, to influence the Republican and Democratic Party Leaders (Lords) to legislate on their behalf. The leaders of the Democratic and Republican Parties, the Party Lords, in the Congress and Senate, now have more control over their subservient Congressman and Senators, than any Marine General ever had over his troops. The political parties control the pac-money. And the pac-money is what decides who will get elected, or heaven forbid, smeared.
These political Lords can't just walk down on the floor and tell a congressman or senator that they are fired. But they can have anyone that fails to kowtow to the powers that be, ostracized, rendered powerless, and they can definitely keep anyone from being re-elected. It is very important that we all understand that these Party Lords have strict control over our congressmen and senators. And folks that's not Democracy, that's Bureaucracy.
And if we are going to declare war against our greedy bureaucracy, prudence behooves us to learn all we can about our enemy. Now, I just pulled what I have written here off the top of my head. So if you find a mistake, don't get excited, it is not that important, the overall theme of this opinion is correct. And furthermore it is also correct that with a minimum of research, anyone can ascertain for themselves that this greatest of all nations, is rapidly slipping into mediocrity. And even the United States of America, the greatest nation that ever existed, can fall from within, if we continue to allow misguided politicians the right, to barter away piece after piece of good government, to anyone who is able and willing to pay for preferential treatment.
I have been telling people for years; when in doubt always Vati. But only in this last year has the urge to really push this concept become obligatory. Actually, Voting Against The Incumbents, is a very viable method of straightening out what is wrong with America. Many congressmen and senators win their seats by very small margins, less than 5%. So, if just 5% of the electorate would vati, we would probably get between 20 and 25% of the Congress and Senators. And you can bet we would get their attention.
If as many people vatied, as voted for Ross Perot (he got 18.9% of the popular vote) we would unseat half of both houses. Folks this is a plan that definitely has possibilities. Politician's egos are all wrapped up in their positions. Actually the only thing in the World politicians love more than pac-money, is their influential positions, their jobs. And on the very day our legislators learn that their electorate is actually going to vote them out of office, they are going to be magically stricken with a burning desire to legislate on behave of their constituency.
The only question left is, where are you going to place your loyalty, to the political party that you have been blindly supporting - or to America? You can't serve two masters, and be loyal to both. We have to take the power away from the political Lords, to the extent that it allows our elected representatives to vote the way we tell them to vote. Or in thirty years you are not going to be able to tell the difference between Washington and the corrupt Government of Mexico, or for that matter, tell the difference between America and Mexico.
Grandpa Nate @ Rawlins, Wyoming.
See more @: http://voteagainsttheincubents.blogspot.com/
Vati Party
VATI is the first letter in "Vote Against The Incumbents,” and that is what it means. Vati means you always vote against the person holding the office, the incumbent, regardless of political affiliation.
The majority of our Congressmen and Senators have absolutely no fear of losing their offices. They know that party loyalty [be it Republican or Democrat] of their constituency will assure their perpetual reelection. In the whole Senate you are likely to have only five or six seats [in the Congress less than 30 seats] that are not securely locked-up by one, or the other, political parties.
And actually, nothing is gained when we do manage to send an occasional new representative to Washington. In short: They are simply gobbled up by the system. They are introduced to pac-money, and the powerful party leaders [Party Lords] and end up cuddling up to Big Business, and voting the party line, for legislation that enhances the Conglomerate's bottom line, to the determent of their constituency, to the determent of America.
Now, a large percentage of Congressmen and Senators win their seats by very small margins, less than 5%, so if just 10% of the voters Vati, we would likely unseat nearly 20% of our Representatives. If we could generate as much support as Ross Perot did, [according to the last election] we would kick out close to 90% of the House and Senate.
But more important than just getting rid of some self-serving politicians, unseating just 10% of the House and Senate would definitely get their attention. And then we could demand drastic change. We could demand a clean break between our Legislators and Big Business. We could outlaw all soft-money, and make any contact between our Legislators and Big Business [except publicized discussion in an open forum] illegal.
We can demand term limits. I am for an eight-year term limit, for all Government Offices. Let Senators serve one six year term or change the length their terms to four years. We can demand secure borders, and that everything entering our ports be inspected. We could demand a rigidly enforced alien worker program, which caters to America’s needs. And demand a viable plan which honorably ends the war in Iraq.
We can let Washington know, anyone who votes against anything the majority of America clearly wants, had better start looking for a new job.
Vatiing is a very viable method of voting to save America, to cure what is wrong with America, a viable way of stopping America’s rapid descent into mediocrity.
The interest in “vote against the incumbents” is growing exponentially. Now we need to get organized, form a political party. Much like any other political party, except we won’t run candidates for office. Our challenge will be to make the other Parties Candidates legislate for American, and America’s People.
If you have any ideas, comments, want to help get organized, or whatever, please leave a message at: http://voteagainsttheincumbents.blogspot.com/
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