Reid and Pelosi to Bush: No More Troops to Iraq

[Bob Geiger]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are wasting no time rejecting any notion of escalating the war in Iraq with a troop increase, sending a letter to George W. Bush this morning telling him that "Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain."

An excerpt from the letter:

The start of the new Congress brings us opportunities to work together on the critical issues confronting our country. No issue is more important than finding an end to the war in Iraq. December was the deadliest month of the war in over two years, pushing U.S. fatality figures over the 3,000 mark.

The American people demonstrated in the November elections that they don’t believe your current Iraq policy will lead to success and that we need a change in direction for the sake of our troops and the Iraqi people. We understand that you are completing your post-election consultations on Iraq and are preparing to make a major address on your Iraq strategy to the American people next week.

Clearly this address presents you with another opportunity to make a long overdue course correction. Despite the fact that our troops have been pushed to the breaking point and, in many cases, have already served multiple tours in Iraq, news reports suggest that you believe the solution to the civil war in Iraq is to require additional sacrifices from our troops and are therefore prepared to proceed with a substantial U.S. troop increase.

Surging forces is a strategy that you have already tried and that has already failed.

You can read the entire letter at Speaker Pelosi's web site and see for yourself that, despite the camaraderie displayed yesterday in the first day of the 110th Congress, the era of the do-nothing GOP House and Senate has clearly come to an end.

[AndyA]

1. And I love them both for their letter to Bush.

I could kiss both of them full on the lips! :rofl:

[LittleClarkie]

2. My God they're warmongers!

Like I said, let them get into their seats before jumping on them.

I doubt they wrote this letter in two days.

[Kikosexy2]

3. Okay...

letters are nice but now it's time for action Nancy & Harry...don't feed us any B.S. ...we want results...SO STOP THE SURGE AND STOP THE FUNDING OF THIS ILLEGAL LOST CAUSE...

[beachmom]

6. As Barney Frank said this week on KO, Bush already has the cash

to do the surge. Frank is voting against the funding, but said that even IF Congress had the votes to defund the war (and with centrist/red state Dems, that is doubtful), Bush can use existing cash plus reshuffle the Pentagon budget to keep this war going for some time. We need to be realistic that we have a president pursuing an insane policy and he has no respect for democracy. So please don't jump on the Dems here -- this is very, very good because it shows a united front against the troops surge. That is step 1. The next steps will be MUCH trickier, however Biden's 3 weeks of hearings on Iraq will get things started right.

[Kikosexy2]

9. Whatever it...

takes...the surge, funding, et al must be STOPPED!!...NO MORE MISTER NICE GUYS!

[Tom Joad]

16. ummm, no. The war will be fully funded. Sorry. Pelosi promised.

[beachmom]

4. This is good, too:

Like many current and former military leaders, we believe that trying again would be a serious mistake. They, like us, believe there is no purely military solution in Iraq. There is only a political solution. Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain. And it would undermine our efforts to get the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. We are well past the point of more troops for Iraq.

In a recent appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General John Abizaid, our top commander for Iraq and the region, said the following when asked about whether he thought more troops would contribute to our chances for success in Iraq:

"I met with every divisional commander, General Casey, the Corps commander, General Dempsey. We all talked together. And I said, in your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success in Iraq? And they all said no. And the reason is, because we want the Iraqis to do more. It's easy for the Iraqis to rely upon to us do this work. I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future. "




This is exactly what I was looking for -- Democrats united while the Republicans fracture.

[xultar]

5. Good thing people @ DU waited till Wednesday to blast them for Iraq

who'd have thought they'd had a plan?

[nini]

7. .

:hug: :thumbsup:

[ellisonz]

12. .

:grouphug:

[cyberpj]

8. Before Bush Could Even Make His Speech! I love it! nt

[mzmolly]

10. A "pre-emptive" strike of our own!

:toast:

[cleveramerican]

11. W doesn't need their permission

They really can't stop a surge in W is determined to have one.


The only opportunity will be via an appropriations bill that will come in mid-February.


Do dems have the clout and the unity required to cut off the funding ?

They did in 1975.

[calimary]

13. There may be one other step, that I heard touched upon during

(I think) tucker carlson's show. Or maybe it was Tweety's. I forget already who it was, but the person said that there could be a revisiting of the War Powers Act, to cut bush's authority off at the knees.

Okay, maybe cutting the funding won't work. Especially since this weasel likes to go around people's backs and get his way ANYWAY. But it's important to do everything, all possible steps, on every front. And every day, there are more people lining up on OUR side of this argument. EVERY DAY. Consider THIS: the latest two people to get in line, astounding but true, just today, as I heard on MSNBC - none other than the wrong-wingers oliver north and charles krauthammer. I about fell over when I heard that. Un-fucking-believable!

In fact, there's a thread about ollie-baby now:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3043385

Check it out! It's from Editor & Publisher.

[Fermezlabush]

15. Better yet: criminalize&reinforce war profiteering!

[Fermezlabush]

14. I love these guys!

[Tom Joad]

17. Great... only 150,000 troops in Iraq. No more. Wow, they really are

pushing it, aren't they!

[GeorgeGist]

18. Nice carrot...

no stick, however.