For GOP, Discord In Dissent On Iraq (WPost, p. A01)

[rodeodance]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013000456.html

For GOP, Discord In Dissent On Iraq
Senators With Doubts Over Bush Troop Plan Debate 5 Resolutions

By Jonathan Weisman and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 31, 2007; Page A01

Republican misgivings over President Bush's new war strategy are increasingly dividing the GOP as the Senate moves toward a showdown over the deployment of 21,500 additional troops to Iraq.

Republican strategy had envisioned a single resolution that would allow the party's senators to express doubts about the plan without stating their outright opposition. Instead, Republicans appear to be balkanizing, with at least five GOP drafts now in play and more Republicans stating their reservations.


"We're all looking for a plan that will work," said Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). "The current plan is not working, and 21,500 additional troops -- it's a snowball in July. It's not going to work."

Vice President Cheney and senior military officials attended a Republican policy lunch yesterday, which turned into a raucous debate about the various resolutions, according to a party leadership aide. Bush will meet with GOP senators on Friday as the White House continues to try to tamp down opposition.

[sparerib]

1. Let's get to brass tacks

All this banter about failed war strategies and success or failure in Iraq, too, shall pass away. And fairly quickly. The preliminary war of words and threats with Iran is building up, and soon the fireworks will start, probably with an attack by Israel on Iran's nuclear sites. Then it will be clear why we're "surging," which is really only intended to buy time until Bush is ready for the next step. Bush is accused of poor planning, but there's more planning going on than people realize. The Persian Gulf is becoming ever more important as the planet runs out of oil. As global oil reserves run out, the Gulf becomes central to the global economy and the global political order. This war is all about control of the Persian Gulf. The attack on Iraq was step one, and it achieved the goal of positioning our troops for step two--which is "dealing with" Iran. Bush and Rumsfeld were criticized for not having an exit strategy in Iraq, but that's the point--they had no intention of exiting. They achieved their goal of getting our troops in the Gulf--now they just needed to bide their time until events were ready for step two. (While they were biding their time, it would have been nice if Iraq would have been cooperative.) All this raucous about Iraq is causing them to expedite step two--which is why attention is being directed to Iran while we speak. The real issue that Bush is dealing with is whether the US needs to be militarily in the Gulf to influence the future of the global economy and the global political order. This is a tough topic to discuss in public, with access by everyone around the world. They can't be candid about what is really going on. But this is the crux of the issue--and this is what should be debated.

[Kikosexy2]

2. A world war ...

for oil and profits...The Corporate Bushco scums of the earth reap in the rewards and the rest just can eat sh*t and die....IMPEACH NOW!! Your insight is on the money...U.S. and Israeli control of the world!...

[niceypoo]

4. Yes, I believe they want a massive war in the middle east...

But I think its more of a power grab than anything else. I seriously doubt they will want to let go of power when the 2008 elections roll around. They have planned this for a long time. Starting a war with Iran would just cause a massive middle east war and they know it. Its an attempt at destabilizing the entire region and causing an emergency situation. I think they believe they can force the democrats into playing ball by plaing out the "patriotism card" like they did with Iraq. They will cheat, smear, lie and steal to get this war started and we will now start hearing the same BS line we heard before about the imminent threat. Hopefully this time the democrats will do something to stop it.

[Supersedeas]

3. the party of indecision??? All we hear from the MSM is that Dems can't decide what to do

[IWantAChange]

5. A larger conflict would give FEAR and SECURITY center stage for 2008.

At this point the Repugs simply don't have anything else to run on - so the premise, as insane as it is when you step back and look at it - does make sense in Repug BizzaroWorld.

[Divine Discontent]

6. we all know

it's a "snowball in July", so why the HELL would any Republican or Joe Lieberman go ahead and kill off hundreds or potentially thousands of those 21500 soldiers who do not deserve to DIE like this? If I had the honor of being a Senator of this great country, I would call out every person I worked with and say they were following "a fool's conquest to save him embarrassment over a failed plan"... I don't care, when it comes to LIVES being lost so blatantly, I would risk my seat. I can understand they are careful with their words when it is over other issues, but this, I could NOT sit down for...



www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

[ClintonTyree]

7. If it's one thing the Republics don't want......

it's having to cast their vote, on the record, for or against the Bush war "plan". They'd like a nice, toothless resolution that does nothing to curb Bush's war frenzy and offers the mildest rebuke possible.

<snip>
"Sen. Trent Lott (Miss.), the GOP whip, said most Republican senators believe they must support some statement about the war, given the public's growing concerns. But he noted: "I am actually reading all the different resolutions, and each one of them does have critical differences." He added that he is leaning toward the Cornyn measure, which offers the fewest objections to Bush's plan".

And there you have it. The Republics are scared to make any waves. 20 of them are up for re-election in 2008 and they want to stay as invisible as possible until then, to slide by without taking a stand against the maniac in the White House. They're more than willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of our young men and women and countless Iraqis just so they can protect their jobs. Unlike you (and I'd do the same thing) they're afraid of taking the Bush baby on, they don't have the courage of their convictions. Gutless cretins, all! :grr:

[Divine Discontent]

9. gutless...

great descriptive word for them all, really! and, big surprise Lott leaning towards the slightest "slap on the wrist" of all the proposals being drafted.

These SOB's may very well be signing their own political "death certificate", by standing by Little Boots! I know some are in staunch conservative states, but if we mount aggressive campaigns against their kissing up to der Fuhrer we could win with candidates like Webb. Fine, if they wanna slaughter young men because they're cowards to confront el pResidente, they're just guaranteeing their record will be one of complete shame for backing the continued Iraq occupation.



www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

[Doctor_J]

8. Yeah, yeah

we've heard this crap before. Where were they 2 years ago? and what exactly are they going to do to prevent Little Boots from escalating?

When I hear Specter's going to take on Bush, I :eyes:

[PATRICK]

10. This post is on target

The media never is. The game around the game, the sidestepping, the playing out the clock someone(*) else controls. Emblematic of Gore 2000 when it was obvious they were and were in the process of stealing the election in several inevitable ways NEVER focused on in precisely the same way.

Meanwhile this post sees very accurately and helplessly far more than the news can either imagine or tell, pretending- even if the people DO know- that their cowardly ignoramus game outside the Great Game is the only thing to think about.

Bush needs to be removed immediately. Or war. Granting Bush the Liar the inevitability gives him the power to wreck history. Furious activities of the news and the Congress to interest themselves in things on the edge they want to do so perhaps they CAN'T imagine the important points listed so simply here.

[IWantAChange]

11. just pulled this off DailyKos ... surge is much larger than 21k troops...

Honorable John M. Spratt Jr.
Chairman
Committee on the Budget
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

At your request, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated the
cost of the President’s plan to increase the number of military personnel
deployed to Iraq under different scenarios related to the duration of that
increase. In summary, CBO estimates that costs would range from $9 billion
to $13 billion for a four-month deployment and from $20 billion to $27 billion for a 12-month deployment, depending upon the total number of troops deployed and including additional costs that would be incurred during the build-up and ramp-down periods.

The analysis depends critically on three key factors:
• How many additional troops will be deployed?
• How long will the deployments last?
• What are the additional costs associated with incremental troop
deployments?

(snip)

To reflect some of the uncertainty about the number of support troops, CBO
developed its estimates on the basis of two alternative assumptions. In one scenario, CBO assumed that additional support troops would be deployed in the same proportion to combat troops that currently exists in Iraq. That approach would require about 28,000 support troops in addition to the 20,000 combat troops—a total of 48,000. CBO also presents an alternative scenario that would include a smaller number of support personnel—about 3,000 per combat brigade—totaling about 15,000 support personnel and bringing the total additional forces to about 35,000.

(more)

[what now toons]

12. "The Moment of truth, then and now"

"The Moment of truth, then and now"

Arlen Specter's questioning of Bush's war powers made me think of another dark time in our nations history, the McCarthy era. A time when the people were also terrorized by their government. Lives and careers were ruined by this man's which hunt for communists, hiding under each and every American's bed. Then came the day during the McCarthy hearings that Joseph Welch spoke back to this monster, with the simple phrase, "At long last, have you no sense of decency, sir?" That Moment began McCarthy's downfall.
Now we have a Republican challenging Bush's war power's with a similar moment. Let us hope that history can repeat itself, and now can be the beginning of Bush's downfall. Another bully bites the dust.
I had to make this the topic of my latest cartoon, see it at my website
www.whatnowtoons.com