Senate passes war deadline bill

[Dulcinea]

Source: CNN

Senate Democrats ignored a veto threat and pushed through a bill today requiring President Bush to start withdrawing troops from Iraq, dealing a rare, sharp rebuke to a wartime commander in chief. The vote came shortly after Bush invited all House Republicans to the White House to appear with him at a briefing to bolster his position in the continuing war policy fight.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/29/us.iraq.ap/index.html

[IWantAChange]

1. Waiting for the photo so I can circle heads going into '08

for whom may disappear from view.

[tularetom]

2. "Wartime commander in chief" my ass

Even though a lot of us including myself disagreed with the rationale for the invasion of Iraq, I'd feel a lot better about it if the whole thing had not turned into a gigantic clusterfuck. bush has proven himself unworthy of the title of commander in chief and it's time for the adults in the senate to take his toys away. If he wants to play soldier so fuckin bad he can enlist.

He has lost the respect of the public, the opposition and now it seems, even his own party. All he has left is the lap dogs of the media.

[melissinha]

3. If Bush wants that $ he's going to have to compromise

Cause he has gotten so many blank checks its sickening ... to quote Barbara Boxer "Elections have consequences. So I (we) make the rules"

[mark414]

4. good to see that Pryor and Nelson voted the right way

a pox on you Lieberman!

[mzmolly]

5. My formal apologies to Nancy Pelosi's office for the phone calls to "reinstate the Iran provision!"

I now realize that there was a method to the madness.

Progress is never as fast as we "progressives" would like, but I hope that the soldiers in Iraq and the people of that country are heartened by the "deadline?"

Now, to hope Bush doesn't veto, but if he does I'm thinking we'll have grounds for the Big "I" ???

:toast:

[19jet54]

6. Checks & Balances...

My simple understanding of C&B:
1) Congress controls the purse strings
2) President runs the (so called) War

Mr. President, if you want the money, strings ARE attached; otherwise NO FUNDING for your bullshit! Simple, Yes?

The people have spoken, Congress listened to the people, WE are the deciders, not you; Democracy works; Now let Iraq work out their own democracy without U.S. meddling.

[superconnected]

7. Dems edge closer to showdown over Iraq

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A defiant, Democratic-controlled Senate approved legislation Thursday calling for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within a year, propelling Congress closer to an epic, wartime veto confrontation with President Bush.

The 51-47 vote was largely along party lines, and like House passage of a separate, more sweeping challenge to Bush's war policies a week ago, fell far short of the two-thirds margin needed to overturn the president's threatened veto. It came not long after Bush and House Republicans made a show of unity at the White House.

"With passage of this bill, the Senate sends a clear message to the president that we must take the war in Iraq in a new direction. Setting a goal for getting most of our troops out of Iraq is not — not, not — cutting and running," said Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., shortly before the vote. Passage cleared the way for negotiations on a compromise with the House.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) of Kentucky rebutted quickly. "Nothing good can come from this bill," he said. "It's loaded with pork that has no relation to our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it includes a deadline for evacuation that amounts to sending a `Save the Date' card to al-Qaida."

More at link

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070329/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

[DavidDvorkin]

8. "Defiant"

I notice that radio reports have also been talking about the Democrats "defying" Bush -- rather, the President, the usage they prefer. They don't say that the Congress is assertive or strong. Rather, it's a child or some other subordinate being wilfully flouting the orders of the authority/father figure.

[subterranean]

9. I think the Democrats made a very generous offer.

The bill only calls for the removal of COMBAT TROOPS in September 2008. As I understand, it would allow some troops to stay to train Iraqi soldiers and fight terrorism. Besides, if Bush's "surge" is as effective as he seems to think it'll be, we won't need any more combat troops in a year and a half, right? On the other hand, if the situation continues to worsen, the American public (and Republicans up for reelection) will be demanding even more loudly that we get out next year.

Bush isn't going to get a better deal than this. I think he should take it.