U.S. House to vote on pullout from Afghanistan

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - In a test of congressional support for President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan strategy, U.S. lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution that would direct him to pull U.S. forces out of the war.

The resolution by liberal Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich is not expected to pass. But it could be an important indicator of how Obama's Democrats feel about the war, particularly ahead of November congressional elections in which Republicans are expected to make gains.

It is the first legislative challenge by the Democratic majority Congress to U.S. involvement in the conflict since Obama ordered 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and an offensive began last month to retake the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand province.

Supporters of the resolution say it is time for U.S. lawmakers to consider if they want to continue the nearly nine-year-old war in which about 1,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed. The United States is already planning to pull its forces out of Iraq by the end of next year.

"This (debate) is a first step. It's like an alarm going off and people begin to wake up," Kucinich told Reuters.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09179683.htm

[mrdmk]

1. 9 year war, lets see here

How many 9 year wars have been been successful for an invading force? For clarification, I am not talking about an Attila the Hun invasion going from one region to another...

[Winterblues]

3. Rome did pretty damn well

They had an invading force throughout Europe for much longer than nine years.

[Flaneur]

4. And then what? The overextended empire fell.

[Robb]

6. 600-odd years wasn't a bad run, though.

[mrdmk]

8. Well we will not mention the several civil wars during those 600 years!

:smoke:

After the fall of Rome, then the world sank into the Dark Ages. So sorry, forgot to mention that!


on edit: added line about the Dark Ages.

[Flaneur]

9. Somehow I don't think the American Empire is going to last as long.

[bluestateguy]

2. The House leadership has graciously out of the generosity of their hearts given Kucinich his vote

and proper reciprocation on other issues will of course be expected.

[wordpix]

5. ya know, it's Congress' responsibility to declare war (or not)---which somehow has

been taken over by the president. I say, let Congress decide.

[harun]

7. Let.... MAKE Congress decide.

[harun]

10. Grayson talking now and kicking ass.

[bamacrat]

11. Hey maybe if Obama says he is against this the pukes will vote for it.

Cause it doesn't seem to matter what the topic is they just take the opposite side.