CE Week #12: “Senate GOP blocks war bill”
Democrats stymied again on withdrawal
Shailagh Murray
Washington Post
November 17, 2007
WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans Friday blocked the latest effort by Democrats to end the Iraq war, rejecting a $50 billion military funding package that would have required President Bush to begin withdrawing troops.
The 53 to 45 tally fell seven votes short of the 60 needed and signaled that the contours of the war debate, now nearing its one-year anniversary, have barely changed. An alternative GOP proposal, which would have provided $70 billion with no strings attached, failed 53 to 45, falling 15 votes short.
The Democratic version was approved by the House earlier this week. It would have required President Bush to start a phased redeployment of U.S. forces within 30 days of enactment, while shifting the military role in Iraq to specific missions. Those include protecting U. S. diplomatic facilities, assisting Iraqi security forces and engaging in targeted counterterrorism operations. It set a Dec. 15, 2008, goal for completing the process.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he may bring the Democratic bill back to the floor in December. He and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have agreed that Bush will not receive more war funding this year unless he accepts Democratic withdrawal terms.
That’s out of the question, said White House spokesman Tony Fratto, who dismissed the Democratic vote as a political stunt.
“Once again, they tried to pass a bill that provides incremental funding, tries to micromanage the war from the halls of Congress,” said Fratto. Democrats “know that such a bill will be vetoed, should it ever come to the president’s desk.”
In May, Bush vetoed an Iraq spending bill that contained Democratic withdrawal conditions, and Congress backed off. Reid and Pelosi said they would not consider a new approach to the funding request until January. In the meantime, they said, the Pentagon could draw from its $471 billion annual budget to cover war expenses.
Republicans said they expect to win the funding showdown eventually – just as they did this summer, owing to the mathematical reality of the Democrats’ tiny 51 to 49 majority in the Senate.
I think this country is ridiculous sometimes. We are all part of the same country yet we act like enemies all the time. All people in politics seem to do is fight, and argue, and complain, and nag… No wonder we don’t accomplish anything. Everyone is screaming so loud with such stubbornness that nothing is ever accomplished. Isn’t the war we are fighting supposed to be the US against terrorism? Why does it feel like its more like the belligerent Republicans against the peace and love Democrats? I’m not sure whether the war is justified or not because I don’t really feel like I am in an ominous position to judge the situation. I do however don’t believe anything will get done if the politicians can’t work together. The Democrats won’t fund the war unless Bush promises to pull the troops out. The Republicans won’t pass a bill for more funding because they don’t like the conditions that the Democrats are attaching to the bills. It’s ridiculous. I don’t believe we just cut funding to the war, but I also am not sure if we should still be there. Whether our troops are going to be brought home or stay overseas, my main concern is that they are taken care of.
I agree with Callie in the aspect that the status quo in America; mainly the “divided era” seems to be unhealthy, and saying that might even be optimistic. in this day in age, we as Americans cannot get along with each other. Maybe we are just refusing to get along. I realize that when it comes to certain things (such as this presidential race) that when you’re not first, you’re last, but what we have on our hands is something to be ridiculed at. Why is Hillary doing this? in my opinion, and the obvious answer is solely to make Obama look bad. But does she NEED to do this in order to get the nod for nomination? It seems as if the saying “nice guys finish last” is true even in this aspect. Candidates have to take on the mentality of mud slinging. The sad thing is, again, in my own opinion, is that when either Obama or Hillary gets the nomination, they will, indeed, be endorsed by the loser. These candidates don’t truly have hate for one another, but rather have to do what American citizens want to see in politics. And in most aspects, I think that Americans want to see a brawl between candidates. We should not see this in politics. And I believe that it is wrong.
Oh! Well it seems to me that the Republicans just don’t care about ending the Iraq war. They reject a bill that would have required Bush to begin withdrawing troops. The war debate is about to have its one-year anniversary. It should be looked at by Congress just how much progress has been made in Iraq. If not enough progress was made then I believe that troops should be slowly pulled out of Iraq with a set deadline date to have them all out of there. I agree that our role in Iraq should be shifted to only specific missions. Instead of whatever is going on in there now. It might work to the Democrats advantage to not give Bush anymore war funding until he accepts Democratic withdrawal terms. It could also help Bush because they might have to tweak the bill to get him to accept it. It might be so different that it almost because a conservative approach to withdrawing troops. It may be a political stunt, but I believe it is a great idea to withdraw troops out of a country that I have no idea what we are doing in in the first place.
I think that the democrats can pull it out. Go democrats!
They’re bleeding the pentagon of money. The pentagon is already not the friendliest with this white house. The pentagon gets angry and all hell breaks loose. No wait, that’s wrong. The pentagon gets angry and nothing political ever happens. Damn, the strategy of turning the pentagon on the white-house won’t work because it’s the pentagon can’t actually do anything about their grudges. It will succeed, though, in diverting otherwise intended funds to this monkey’s fist (a monkey’s fist is a kind of juggernaut) overseas. (I’m referring now, of course, to Iraq.) The democrats haven’t really made the most of their political victory in ’06. Sweeping into the house and the senate they… did nothing really. Pelosi doesn’t have the might and Reid doesn’t have the means. They’re a mismatch made in hell. It takes a decent majority and some actually political heavyweighting to get things done under the nose of a quite decisive (as could be expected of, “the decider”) commander in chief, and the dem’s just can’t get it done.
RE: Callie.
Those internally tearing emotions, the, “I just don’t know what to do (now with myself, but with the Iraq war)” are why all the politicians can’t just “work together.” If you can’t come to an internal consensus imagine how hard it must be for the congress, whose consciousness is actually fragmented into distinct individuals, to do so. The politicians aren’t just trenching themselves against the opposition (usually), they (usually) believe what they’re fighting for.
The Grand Old Party still has some power! Even with the minute majority of the Democrats in the Senate (51 to 49), Republicans feel the need to show that they still have some form of control, this time being in control of anti-troop withdrawal from Iraq. I personally still think that the troops need to be there, and Bush has them there rightly. But then I also think that we currently have a bit too many stationed there. I would therefore not opt for a complete removal and withdrawal, but I think that some of them do need to return home. This would appease everyone, even for a short time, until the Democrats start screaming again for complete withdrawal. And then the whole thing would start up again, probably lasting for another year.
Evan, I wouldn’t say that the Republicans don’t care about ending the war. I think that they do. But I also think that they are far more cautious and tactful about how they would remove said troops from a war that is still (whether you believe it or not) going on, one that would still be seen as surrendering from with a full removal. I think that blocking the latest Democrat’s bill was smart indeed, until a completely comprehensive and smart method of removal is devised.
~Liz