WP: As Iraq Exit Plan Arrives, Democrats' Rift Remains (p. AO1)

[rodeodance]

As Iraq Exit Plan Arrives, Democrats' Rift Remains

By Jonathan Weisman and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 8, 2007; Page A01

Even in her conservative Kansas district, calls and letters to freshman House Democrat Nancy Boyda show a constituency overwhelmingly ready for U.S. troops to come home from Iraq.

Yet as the House nears a legislative showdown on the war, Boyda finds herself wracked with doubts. She is convinced that Congress must intervene to stop the war, but is fearful of the chaos that a quick U.S. pullout could prompt. "Congress has an obligation to do something," Boyda said. But she is unsure what to do, worried about anything that "affects commanders on the ground."


This morning House Democrats, fractured as a group and, with many members such as Boyda torn over how to proceed on Iraq, will meet to learn the details of a new proposal cobbled together by party leaders last night, which calls for bringing troops home early next year while removing remaining troops from combat by October 2008.

But it is far from certain they will succeed in bridging the rifts that have opened inside a passionately antiwar and yet determinedly cautious new congressional majority. "It's much easier to express an opinion to a pollster than it is to formulate effective policy on something as intractable as Iraq," Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) said.

[Nickster]

1. Idiots! "I'm scared and don't know what to do, so I'll just stand here and hope someone

else or circumstances take over and make the decision for me." "Making decisions is real hard work and I can't do it!"

[rodeodance]

3. ........"the past three days in the House have been agonizing, Democrats say."

[anotherdrew]

6. yep, this Boyda fool doesn't seem to realize, _she_ IS a commander on the ground

"commander on the ground" another one of these retarded phrases designed to turn off peoples brains.

[Nickster]

9. Of course 4 years of war hasn't given her/them enough time to think about how to extract us from

this quagmire. I don't expect her personally to have all the answers, but standing there trembling in a corner and expecting me to accept her inaction,that is bull.

[rodeodance]

2. "It's clear that on Nov. 7, voters said, ---says Woolsey

......."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."

But antiwar liberals find such temporizing infuriating, seeing the Democratic win in November's midterm elections as a clear mandate to end the war.

"It's hard to put myself in their place," Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) said of her party's conservatives. "It's clear that on Nov. 7, voters said, 'Democrats, we think you will be bold. You will change course for us in Iraq.' "

With such strong sentiments, the past three days in the House have been agonizing, Democrats say.

[aquart]

5. How many dead will satisfy Herseth?

What's her "enough"?

[Barrett808]

4. Ms. Boyda needn't worry: The US presence *exacerbates* violence

This was amply demonstrated by the escalation of violence during Operation Together Forward.

Bring them home now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. If you did ot want that pacakge

why the fuck did you run?

[speedingbullet]

8. Enough of this War?

Are the representatives really surprised that their constituents are tired of this shit? Our newly elected (Republican) Rep. Adrian Smith sent out a questionnaire for us folks to indicate the issues we are concerned about by checking the appropriate box. There was NO box for "Iraq" or "war" so I had to write it in under "other".

[librechik]

10. hey--God won't throw anything at us that we can't handle

Remember, Christians?

[PassingFair]

11. *ucking BLUE DOGS and NEW DEMS. Listen UP.

The UNITED STATES wants OUT.

And YOU will be OUT of our PARTY like LIEBERMAN if you
don't REPRESENT US!

TAKE HEED.

[PassingFair]

12. Link? n/t

[PassingFair]

13. Where is LINK? n/t

[0rganism]

14. translation: "we're afraid of being called troop-hating terror softies in the 2008 elections"

Really, we should give props where they're due. Even in the face of recent Democratic victories, the Republican noise machine has done an excellent job of framing debates on damn near everything, from the war to Scooter's trial to Edwards' house sale. The only point they've fallen down on is global warming, and that's because even the industrial resource exploitation industry realizes that worldwide ecosystem collapse will be hard on the profit margins -- but that hasn't kept the diehards from trying to spin it out of pure habit.

As a result, the congressional Democrats see themselves as walking a tightrope whether they are or not.