House Dems Ready for Showdown on Iraq

[helderheid]

By JAKE TAPPER

Mar. 8, 2007 — The days of symbolic non-binding resolutions behind them, Democratic leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives this morning dug in their heels and set the stage for an aggressive debate over the future of the war in Iraq.

At a press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, House Appropriations chairman David Obey, D-Wisc., and House Appropriations Defense subcommittee chairman Jack Murtha, D-Penn., introduced the $96 billion in supplemental spending for the Iraq war with major strings attached.

These include, most notably, that the Iraqi government meet President Bush's benchmarks for reform under penalty of immediate withdrawal of US troops, as well a timeline regardless of benchmarks met for ending all U.S. troop deployment in Iraq

"No matter what," Pelosi said, "by March 2008, redeployment begins." And by August 2008, it will be completed, according to this bill.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2934730&page=1

[IWantAChange]

1. Let's see who the American public lines up behind.......

[bigtree]

2. It's a step past Bush's intentions, but relies on the president to qualify 'success'

by reporting to Congress. There are reams of documents from this WH claiming 'success' in every failed endeavor they have their hands in. Congress should tell Bush that he's already failed and pull out the rug, not withstanding the bill's intention to end the occupation by next year.

Bush has had more than enough time to prove any 'success' in Iraq. He's out of time and has exhausted the Americans' patience.

This leadership effort will fail with a sizable chunk of the Democrats voting against it. They should change it to reflect where THEY feel the occupation is presently going and not allow Bush any more room to sell his disaster and continue.

[Beaverhausen]

3. Not soon enough, but it's a step in the right direction