Gates to Bush -- Veto the Webb bill for backdoor withdrawal
The shenanigans of the Left just keep on coming. And in this latest round, they're showing just how obtuse they are. After General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker presented their reports to Congress, which includes a drawdown timetable -- provided it is feasible -- the Democrats come back with the Webb bill. While it sounds good on the outside, Secretary Gates is warning the president that it's a drawdown in disguise:
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he would advise President Bush to veto a Senate proposal that would effectively force a major drawdown of American forces in Iraq.
The proposal, sponsored by Sen. James H. Webb Jr., Virginia Democrat, that would require that troops be given equal time off to match tours of duty, was dismissed by Mr. Gates as "a backdoor way to try and force the president to accelerate the drawdown."
"Trying to manage to this kind of legislation is extremely difficult," Mr. Gates said during an appearance on ABC's "This Week," adding that the military has a difficult enough time managing current policy, which gives troops 12 months off for 15 months of combat duty.
Asked in a separate interview by "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace whether he would recommend a veto of the bill, Mr. Gates said, "Yes, I would."
Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat, defended the Senate proposal during his own "This Week" appearance.
"I think it's sensible, it can be managed, and it responds to the most-persistent issue that my colleagues and I observe when we go there, which is troops are beginning to feel the pressure, and their families, of these deployments," he said.
Both Mr. Webb and Mr. Reed are military veterans.
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat and also a combat veteran, said the proposal is supported by a majority of senators. He accused Republicans of blocking its passage.
The Webb proposal reportedly has 57 votes, three short of the 60 votes needed for passage to overcome a likely filibuster. If vetoed by Mr. Bush, it would need 67 votes to override his veto.
Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, defended the administration's strategy during a "Meet the Press" appearance, saying U.S. troop reductions should be tied to military and political progress on the ground.
Mr. McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran who is seeking his party's 2008 presidential nomination, said that along with military progress, Iraqis have made significant progress toward political reconciliation on the local level.
He warned, however, that an early withdrawal would force the country's various political factions to form alliances with Iran and al Qaeda.
"I am convinced that the ... government [of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki], if they are told we are leaving, they have to stay in the neighborhood, and they will adjust to conditions in the neighborhood. That's dealing — making deals with al Qaeda and others," he said.
Sen. Carl Levin has offered his own redeployment proposal. His bill would limit the mission of U.S. forces to training Iraqi forces and combating al Qaeda, something the administration says already is reflected in their long-term goals.
"The president has dangled a carrot in front of the American people talking about troop reductions," Mr. Levin, Michigan Democrat, said during an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation." "But, again, it is an illusion of a change of course, and the American people are not buying it. My colleagues are not buying it."
Mr. Gates rejected claims from Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, that the Bush war policy would leave more than 100,000 troops in the country for the next decade.
"I think that no one believes right now that that's going to prove necessary," he said.
One last time from the cheap seats, and just for Democrats because they seem to be the only ones who don't understand this:
THE PRESIDENT IS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE MILITARY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, NOT CONGRESS! IF THERE IS TO BE A DRAWDOWN OF SOLDIERS IN A THEATER OF OPERATIONS, IT WILL COME AT HIS REQUEST, UPON RECOMMENDATION OG COMMANDERS IN SAID THEATER, AND NOT AT CONGRESS'S BEHEST!
We're sick of seeing these games played. Because the surge has succeeded beyond the expectations fo General Petraeus, the Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed as part of the surge will begin to pack up and come home on his recommendation before Congress last week, and at the approval of the president. Another brigade combat unit will be evaluated in forty-five days, and will either begin a pullout, or will be reassigned elsewhere in theater.
Why is this so hard for the Left to understand? We're not simply going to pick up our bat and ball and come home because the Democrats are whining about things. We're in the middle of a war, and we're so damned sorry that they lack the necessary patience and fortitude -- both intestinal and testicular -- to see this mission through. He asked for it. they voted in favor of it. there's no way they can call "do-over" and "undeclare" a war. The AUMF is as bionding as law, and they agreed to it. No BS about being misled or lied to because they weren't.
They all saw the intel the same as the president. they made their decision based on that intel. And if they didn't read it or didn't see it, that's their fault. They're adults. Take respomnsibility for your actions, and accpet the duties you have as members of Congress. But quit trying to tie the hands fo the president (which they legally can't), and quit your kvethcing already on the war (which they can legally do, and do well). This nation will finish this job in spite of those fools on Capitol Hill that want to retreat int he face of an enemy that's on it's last leg.
Publius II
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he would advise President Bush to veto a Senate proposal that would effectively force a major drawdown of American forces in Iraq.
The proposal, sponsored by Sen. James H. Webb Jr., Virginia Democrat, that would require that troops be given equal time off to match tours of duty, was dismissed by Mr. Gates as "a backdoor way to try and force the president to accelerate the drawdown."
"Trying to manage to this kind of legislation is extremely difficult," Mr. Gates said during an appearance on ABC's "This Week," adding that the military has a difficult enough time managing current policy, which gives troops 12 months off for 15 months of combat duty.
Asked in a separate interview by "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace whether he would recommend a veto of the bill, Mr. Gates said, "Yes, I would."
Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat, defended the Senate proposal during his own "This Week" appearance.
"I think it's sensible, it can be managed, and it responds to the most-persistent issue that my colleagues and I observe when we go there, which is troops are beginning to feel the pressure, and their families, of these deployments," he said.
Both Mr. Webb and Mr. Reed are military veterans.
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat and also a combat veteran, said the proposal is supported by a majority of senators. He accused Republicans of blocking its passage.
The Webb proposal reportedly has 57 votes, three short of the 60 votes needed for passage to overcome a likely filibuster. If vetoed by Mr. Bush, it would need 67 votes to override his veto.
Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, defended the administration's strategy during a "Meet the Press" appearance, saying U.S. troop reductions should be tied to military and political progress on the ground.
Mr. McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran who is seeking his party's 2008 presidential nomination, said that along with military progress, Iraqis have made significant progress toward political reconciliation on the local level.
He warned, however, that an early withdrawal would force the country's various political factions to form alliances with Iran and al Qaeda.
"I am convinced that the ... government [of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki], if they are told we are leaving, they have to stay in the neighborhood, and they will adjust to conditions in the neighborhood. That's dealing — making deals with al Qaeda and others," he said.
Sen. Carl Levin has offered his own redeployment proposal. His bill would limit the mission of U.S. forces to training Iraqi forces and combating al Qaeda, something the administration says already is reflected in their long-term goals.
"The president has dangled a carrot in front of the American people talking about troop reductions," Mr. Levin, Michigan Democrat, said during an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation." "But, again, it is an illusion of a change of course, and the American people are not buying it. My colleagues are not buying it."
Mr. Gates rejected claims from Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, that the Bush war policy would leave more than 100,000 troops in the country for the next decade.
"I think that no one believes right now that that's going to prove necessary," he said.
One last time from the cheap seats, and just for Democrats because they seem to be the only ones who don't understand this:
THE PRESIDENT IS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE MILITARY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, NOT CONGRESS! IF THERE IS TO BE A DRAWDOWN OF SOLDIERS IN A THEATER OF OPERATIONS, IT WILL COME AT HIS REQUEST, UPON RECOMMENDATION OG COMMANDERS IN SAID THEATER, AND NOT AT CONGRESS'S BEHEST!
We're sick of seeing these games played. Because the surge has succeeded beyond the expectations fo General Petraeus, the Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed as part of the surge will begin to pack up and come home on his recommendation before Congress last week, and at the approval of the president. Another brigade combat unit will be evaluated in forty-five days, and will either begin a pullout, or will be reassigned elsewhere in theater.
Why is this so hard for the Left to understand? We're not simply going to pick up our bat and ball and come home because the Democrats are whining about things. We're in the middle of a war, and we're so damned sorry that they lack the necessary patience and fortitude -- both intestinal and testicular -- to see this mission through. He asked for it. they voted in favor of it. there's no way they can call "do-over" and "undeclare" a war. The AUMF is as bionding as law, and they agreed to it. No BS about being misled or lied to because they weren't.
They all saw the intel the same as the president. they made their decision based on that intel. And if they didn't read it or didn't see it, that's their fault. They're adults. Take respomnsibility for your actions, and accpet the duties you have as members of Congress. But quit trying to tie the hands fo the president (which they legally can't), and quit your kvethcing already on the war (which they can legally do, and do well). This nation will finish this job in spite of those fools on Capitol Hill that want to retreat int he face of an enemy that's on it's last leg.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 6:23 PM
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