Kennedy to introduce Bill to Deny Bush his troops for Escalation! Wants Votes Counted.

[KoKo]

He will be giving a speech on his Bill on C-Span II at l:00 p.m. today.

Here's what his Bill is about from TPM site:

Kennedy: No Iraq "Surge" without Hill's OK
By Paul Kiel - January 9, 2007, 11:27 AM

The American people sent a clear message in November that we must change course in Iraq and begin to withdraw our troops, not escalate their presence. The way to start is by acting on the President’s new plan. An escalation, whether it is called a surge or any other name, is still an escalation, and I believe it would be an immense new mistake. It would compound the original misguided decision to invade Iraq. We cannot simply speak out against an escalation of troops in Iraq. We must act to prevent it.

Today I am introducing legislation to reclaim the rightful role of Congress and the people’s right to a full voice in the President’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. My bill will say that no additional troops can be sent and no additional dollars can be spent on such an escalation, unless and until Congress approves the President’s plan.

My proposal will not diminish our support for the forces we already have in Iraq. We will continue to do everything we can to make sure they have all the support they truly need. Even more important, we will continue to do all we can to bring them safely home. The best immediate way to support our troops is by refusing to inject more and more of them into the cauldron of a civil war that can be resolved only by the people and government of Iraq.

This bill will give all Americans – from Maine to Florida to California to Alaska and Hawaii – an opportunity to hold the President accountable for his actions. The President’s speech must be the beginning – not the end – of a new national discussion of our policy in Iraq. Congress must have a genuine debate over the wisdom of the President’s plan. Let us hear the arguments for it and against it. Then let us vote on it in the light of day. Let the American people hear – yes or no – where their elected representatives stand on one of the greatest challenges of our time.

much more at......
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002307.php

[blm]

1. Thankyou, Patriot Ted Kennedy. OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people and

accountable TO the people - that is the government this country needs.

[Eurobabe]

2. Go Teddy!!

[mzmolly]

3. I love the Kennedy's.

Go TED!

[SharonRB]

4. Oh, what to do?

Do I keep streaming the House, or switch over to the Senate? I wish I could watch them both at the same time!

[Peace Patriot]

5. This is one very great speech! And, friends, the Constitutional crisis that

we've all been expecting, and that we've all been hoping that the Democrats have the cahones for--and that many expected to be months away, and over Congressional subpoenas--is upon us NOW. THIS WEEK. And the issue is the War.

-----

Here's Kennedy's conclusion:

-----

"Many of us felt the authorization to go to war was a grave mistake at the time. I’ve said that my vote against the war in Iraq is the best vote I’ve cast in my 44 years in the United States Senate.

"But no matter what any of us thought then, the Iraq War resolution is obviously obsolete today. It authorized a war to destroy weapons of mass destruction. But there were no WMDs to destroy. It authorized a war with Saddam Hussein. But today, Saddam is no more. It authorized a war because Saddam was allied with al Qaeda. But there was no alliance.

"The mission of our armed forces today in Iraq bears no resemblance whatever to the mission authorized by Congress. President Bush should not be permitted to escalate the war further, and send an even larger number of our troops into harm’s way, without a clear and specific new authorization from Congress.

"Our history makes clear that a new escalation in our forces will not advance our national security. It will not move Iraq toward self-government, and it will needlessly endanger our troops by injecting more of them into the middle of a civil war.

"... Comparisons from history resonate painfully in today’s debate on Iraq. In Vietnam, the White House grew increasingly obsessed with victory, and increasingly divorced from the will of the people and any rational policy. The Department of Defense kept assuring us that each new escalation in Vietnam would be the last. Instead, each one led only to the next.

"There was no military solution to that war. But we kept trying to find one anyway. In the end, 58,000 Americans died in the search for it.

"Echoes of that disaster are all around us today. Iraq is George Bush’s Vietnam.

"As with Vietnam, the only rational solution to the crisis is political, not military. Injecting more troops into a civil war is not the answer. Our men and women in uniform cannot force the Iraqi people to reconcile their differences.

"The President may deny the plain truth. But the truth speaks loudly and tragically. Congress must no longer follow him deeper into the quagmire in Iraq."

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002307.php

------------------------------

He is introducing his resolution later today, to deny Bush authorization and funding for an escalation. This is it.

[Peace Patriot]

6. Text of the Kennedy Resolution...

(the relevant part)

"Prohibition.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funds may be obligated or expended by the United States government to increase the number of United States forces in Iraq above the number for such forces which existed as of January 9, 2007, without a specific authorization from Congress by law for such an increase."

-----

Full text link at
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002307.php

[flamin lib]

7. Why not just enforce the War Powers Act of 1973? It was enacted

for this very reason. Bush has been in violation of that law since 2004.

[williesgirl]

8. Kennedy has a set of balls - now let's see who else does. recommended

[MUAD_DIB]

9. Kick!

Go Ted Go! I hope this leaves Prezdent Monkeynuts red-assed and stammering tomorrow night.

The bastard has sent too many soldiers to their deaths or, if lucky enough, a lifetime missing arms and legs.

[Theres-a]

10. In the light of day,kick!

[KoKo]

11. DU Link to Running Thread (Blow by Blow) here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3075509

[Imagevision]

12. Ted, hold the President accountable for his actions. you're the man!!

[snowbear]

13. And yet.. do you hear what Anderson Cooper keeps saying over and over ??

His commercial that CNN keeps running for his show tonight.. (I can't remember exactly how it goes).. but it says something like:

"The first 100 hours. Voters elected Democrats to blah, blah, blah... so why aren't they discussing Iraq? We're keeping them honest. Tune in tonight's show for more on the first 100 hours"



THEN.... immediately after they run the commercial of Anderson saying "so why aren't they discussing Iraq?" - they go back to Wolf who talks about how Senator Edward Kennedy will be his guest in the Situation Room to DISCUSS IRAQ!!!

CNN, you----are----NUTS.

[KoKo]

14. I gave up on them last night. Kennedy didn't get the attention his proposed

bill should have. Blitzer did interview him but there wasn't enough follow through. The "anti-Dem disinformation" rules not only at CNN but at MSNBC.
Still more time given to Repugs and Conservatives than Dems or Left of Center.