Does Pelosi know what she's doing?

[El Supremo]

Poll question: Does Pelosi know what she's doing?

(edited for copyright purposes: please limit snips of
articles to 4 paragraphs as per the Democratic Underground
copyright rules : proud patriot Moderator )


Dems abandon war authority provision

WASHINGTON - Top House Democrats retreated Monday from an attempt to limit
President Bush's authority for taking military action against
Iran as the leadership concentrated on a looming confrontation with the White House over the
Iraq war.

Officials said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) and other members of the leadership had decided to strip from a major military spending bill a requirement for Bush to gain approval from Congress before moving against Iran.

Conservative Democrats as well as lawmakers concerned about the possible impact on
Israel had argued for the change in strategy.

The developments occurred as Democrats pointed toward an initial test vote in the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday on the overall bill, which would require the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by Sept. 1, 2008, if not earlier. The measure provides nearly $100 billion to pay for fighting in two wars, and includes more money than the president requested for operations in
Afghanistan and what Democrats called training and equipment shortages.

The White House has issued a veto threat against the bill, and Vice President
Dick Cheney attacked its supporters in a speech, declaring they "are telling the enemy simply to watch the clock and wait us out."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070313/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq_33

[purduejake]

1. Not sure what to think.

I wish the Dems formed more of an opposition party, but I have hope many things are in the works that we don't hear much about because of the mainstream media's failure to provide fair coverage. It's unfortunate the troops are in hell while we sit here trying to figure out what to do. Start bringing them home now.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. She knows what she is doing

it just isn't what we want her to do.

[purduejake]

5. You're probably right, unfortunately. n/t

[Larry Allen]

16. Nancy's War

Our leadership in the House is unfortunately pro-war. History will record Iran and Iraq as the same war. You can't support one without the other, or oppose one without opposing the other.

It can be argued that the Iran war prohibition would have been ineffective because it contained exemptions for if we are attacked, for imminent threat, and for hot pursuit, and because Bush does not feel bound by acts of Congress anyway. But it would have sent a message to the Bush administration and the international community that we are not behind this.

Pulling the Iran war prohibition, in the current context, gives Bush a green light. Since there is no move to repeal the Iraq War Resolution that everyone regrets, and since Bush intends to use IWR for authority to attack Iran, he now scacely has to stage a phony attack or manufacture propoganda to go forward with this substantial escalation.

An air assult on Iran is frought with danger and I will hold Nancy Pelosi personally responsible for the resulting death and destruction.

[partylessinOhio]

3. Forget about it. We're toast with her.

[NYCGirl]

4. Link for that article? NT

[El Supremo]

7. Sorry, link added. That was the whole article. n/m

[OwnedByFerrets]

6. I havent forgiven her for the impeachment statement.......

no matter what the reasons were.

[NYCGirl]

8. Even Thom Hartmann (who is as far from a moderate) said that the Speaker

of the House HAS to say impeachment is "off the table", since the Speaker is third in line for the presidency. He said she could NOT say anything else.

[OwnedByFerrets]

12. Why couldnt she have said NOTHING? nt

[Vidar]

9. Sure she does. Follow the money at all costs.

[IChing]

10. I am proud that a DLC asswipe is not speaker of the house

and that Californian, liberal, San Franciscan is.

No wait, I want a Blue dog democrat...........LOL

The political process in the United States is tainted so bad that it is almost hypocritical to call it a democracy.

She is a woman and a leader that gives me hope.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Pandering to the Israel Lobby is what got us into Iraq

Monday Cheney and Israel PM Olmert said that to leave Iraq is bad for Israel. Over 3,200 dead GIs died for Israel!!!!!!!! Tell that to their families!

[invictus]

13. Pelosi got whipped in line by AIPAC n/t

[Rusty MacHenry]

15. Do you got any proof of that regarding AIPAC?

[invictus]

17. Proof

"Members of the preeminent pro-Israel lobbying group booed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) yesterday after she said that the Iraq war has been a failure on several scores.

"The boos, mixed with polite applause, contrasted starkly with the reception House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) received minutes earlier. Most of the crowd of 5,000 to 6,000 stood and loudly applauded Boehner when he said the U.S. had no choice but to win in Iraq.

"Pelosi also received applause for backing tougher sanctions on Iran, as well as a prolonged standing ovation when she displayed copies of Israeli Army dog tags given to her by the wife of an Israeli soldier kidnapped in Israel by Hezbollah. Pelosi said she displays the dog tags to remind her of the promise she made to do everything in her power to work for the soldier’s release.

"But just minutes later came the negative reaction from numerous members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in attendance after Pelosi said the U.S. military campaign in Iraq must be judged on three counts: whether it makes the U.S. safer, the U.S. military stronger and the region more stable.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/pelosi-is-booed-at-aipac-2007-03-13.html

[Rydz777]

14. Struggling

Well, she's struggling to try to keep her caucus together. But I hope she realizes that if the war isn't stopped Bush will string it out and dump it into the lap of his successor. If, as I hope and expect, that successor is a Democrat, it will be terrible trying to clean up Bush's mess. Bush should be forced to conclude this war - which he started - during his own term.