MoveOn Announces Support for John Kerry’s Iraq Proposal

[kerrygoddess]

MoveOn Announces Support for John Kerry’s Iraq Proposal

April 6th, 2006 @ 1:37 pm

MoveOn.org announced their support for John Kerry’s Iraq proposal today. The following is a statement by MoveOn.org Washington Director Tom Matzzie on Senator John Kerry’s proposal for Iraq:

Senator John Kerry’s proposal for Iraq is the sort of bold leadership America needs. In the coming weeks, MoveOn.org Political Action will mobilize its members to support Senator Kerry’s deadlines for Iraq.

The reasoning of the Kerry strategy is important: America must insist on more progress from the Iraqis and give them deadlines. The deadlines must be real—backed with troop departures. This is how progress will be finalized in Iraq and how we’ll be able to bring our troops home. This is the rationale reflected in the exit strategies of leaders like Rep. John Murtha and groups like the Center for American Progress.

In these times it is wholly unacceptable for political leaders, especially Democrats, to wait for a change of course in Iraq. The public desperately wants leadership. Senator Kerry has stepped forward and provided it.

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2546

[Vincardog]

1. Here is the link to co-sponsor Kerry's bill to get USA out of Iraq

I did It felt GOOD

< http://www.johnkerry.com/action/deadline/>

[kerrygoddess]

5. Doesn't it feel good!

Keep the momentum going - waiting for MoveOn to start their email push!

[cain_7777]

7. Kerry, the Real leader of this country!

Now is the Time for Dems to rally. We let Katrina slip through our fingers, Alberto Gonzalez greased up the wiretapping scheme, but this we must grab onto so we can finally get that noose around Bushco's neck.

[katty]

2. thanks for link-done!

[Vincardog]

3. Thank you katty

[Vincardog]

4. Thank you katty

[fedupinBushcountry]

6. Excellent

:kick:

[stevedeshazer]

8. That's great news

Democrats are coming together. 'Bout time. :)

[XanaDUer]

9. !

Kick.

[rox63]

10. K&R for Big John! n/t

[rodeodance]

14. glad to see the support from moveon

[MH1]

11. Beautiful!!! nt

[politicasista]

12. Great n/t

[Bob K]

13. Where WOULD we be.......

.......had Kerry not been swindled out the job he ran for??? Out of the Iraqle, that's for sure!

[Voltaire99]

15. How do you ask a man to be the last to die for a stupid, failed war?

If the US is to leave by the end of 2006, all US soldiers over the next eight months who are maimed or killed...

...will have suffered for what?

Immediate withdrawal, not delay, is the best option. It's simply a little more than an imperialist like Kerry can contemplate. The late 2006 date is a fig leaf intended to protect Kerry against charges of cutting and running. Yet it's cruelly arbitrary. After all, fixing a withdrawal date under the present circumstances--Iraq in civil war, US aims foiled, the oil a mere trickle, catastrophic losses--is an obvious concession of defeat. Good that it is finally being admitted.

So why delay leaving?

[WildEyedLiberal]

17. It's the quickest withdrawal proposed yet

Logistically it would take months anyway - there's no way they will all be out before May 15th. Do you think they all just teleport back to the US instantly? :eyes:

I should know better than to take anyone who calls Kerry an "imperialist" seriously at all.

[welshTerrier2]

19. the poster called for "immediate withdrawal"

and you responded "Do you think they all just teleport back to the US instantly?"

here's another guy who said if the May 15 deadline isn't met, we should "immediately withdraw":

"Iraqi politicians should be told that they have until May 15 to put together an effective unity government or we will immediately withdraw our military."

- John Kerry

i trust you disagree with Senator Kerry's "teleporting" idea as well ...

[WildEyedLiberal]

20. Well, this poster didn't seem to think that was fast enough

I mainly object to his calling Kerry an "imperialist." No imperialist would call for eliminating our permanent bases and leaving Iraq by the end of the year.

"Immediately" is probably the span of a month or so, just logistically speaking with the all the soldiers in Iraq now. I don't understand what that poster wants, or why he feels he has to namecall the person who's offered the best solution yet offered by someone in power.

[welshTerrier2]

21. if you object to his use of "imperialist" then make your case

but your "teleporting" criticism of a perfectly legitimate point of view about the pace of withdrawal totally contradicts what Kerry said ...

and as for withdrawal timelines, "out now" is a perfectly legitimate point of view whether you agree with it or not ...

the reality is that you just attacked the poster on a perfectly legitimate point because you objected to the label he used about Kerry ... arguing in that manner doesn't add much credibility to your point ...

as for calling Kerry an imperialist, and I am very much unclear of my position on this about most prominent Democrats, few have made the case that we went to war to benefit Big Oil ... for all the accusations about bush distorting the evidence "because he wanted to go to war", few have said WHY they believe he "wanted to go to war" ... most seem to accept the premise, at least publically, that bush went into Iraq to take out Saddam and to promote democracy in the Middle East ... do you believe that? i don't ...

so at best, Democrats who have funded this war were duped into accepting bush's motives for war; at worst, they are indeed funding, with blood and treasure, a scheme that has filled the pockets of Big Oil with record profits ... in the former case, they are blind to American imperialism and its use and abuse of the American military for corporate gain; in the latter, they are themselves complicit ... and i sit on the fence not knowing which is true ...

finally, as to your point about permanent bases and leaving Iraq by the end of the year, and hopefully much sooner, imperialism does not always require a sustained, and very visible, military presence ... i strongly support the call for no permanent bases; i'm less happy with "hanging around" until the end of the year ... but most of the big deals have already been signed ... Iraq has been thoroughly raped and the theft of its oil has already been signed, sealed and delivered ... Chalabi and Wolfowitz saw to that ... a lower military profile will not sever the puppet strings ...

[WildEyedLiberal]

22. I don't get you.

One minute you're praising Kerry, the next implying he's imperialist. I don't understand why you chose to reply to me. I addressed a poster who was clearly interested in making ad hominem attacks. I don't need to making a fucking case that Kerry isn't an "imperialist" any more than I need to make a case that he isn't a child molestor. Both are equally ludicrous. Why don't you take Kerry's words at face value? Jesus. Didn't you ever hear Kerry demand to know why soldiers were ordered to protect oil fields and not military targets? Have you seriously never heard him excoriate Halliburton reaping profits off of no-bid contracts and pipelines? He says that in almost every single Iraq speech, which I'm sure you've read, so stop pretending he doesn't.

Why even make a positive post if you're going to contradict yourself the same day? Make up your mind.

[welshTerrier2]

23. i didn't "imply he's an imperialist"

i chose to reply to you because you attacked the idea of "immediate withdrawal" as "teleporting" when Kerry himself condoned the idea of "immediate withdrawal" ...

many of us on "the left", have called for meaningful, NEAR-TERM deadlines ... we criticized Kerry and all the others who offered vague, conditional plans based on loosely defined benchmarks ... what did you call us when we did that? and now, while not our first choice, we applaud Kerry's new plan ... it's a compromise for many of us but we strongly support it and applaud Kerry for standing up on the issue ... and now it's OK with you that we have a firm ultimatum? a firm deadline? a "date certain"? a call for near-term withdrawal? a call for "immediate withdrawal" if the near-term condition is not met? where were you last week?

maybe instead of your constant attacks and insults of "the left", you might recognize that "the left" should be Kerry's natural constituency ... it's fairly clear, at least to me, there's no room left for him in the center ... all you end up doing is deepening the divide ...

and as for Kerry's statements about Halliburton etc., I've written very positive comments on those points in his speeches ... however, has he ever questioned bush's MOTIVES for going into Iraq? if not, perhaps it's about time somebody did ...

[WildEyedLiberal]

24. I didn't say one thing about the left

Now you're just putting words into my mouth. I attacked no one except someone who called Kerry an "imperialist." That's not a "leftist" thing to say, it's a stupid thing to say, so I utterly fail to see where you're getting "I'm attacking leftists" out of this. I didn't mention the words "leftist" or "left" once in this thread. Why are you attacking me for things I didn't even say? Or is this some kneejerk reaction to my username?

[blm]

25. JK says Iraq agrees to unity government by May 15 or we leave immediately

If Iraq DOES agree to unity government by May 15, we are there only in enough numbers to help them train and we leave by the end of the year.

[oasis]

16. I'm liking it. (n/t)

[bdamomma]

18. Count me in

I signed