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Dems Plot Another Vote for Iraq Drawdown
November 08, 2007 12:13 PM
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: When Democrats attached language to mandate a withdrawal from Iraq to the supplemental war funding bill for this past fiscal year, President Bush vetoed it. And Democrats lacked the vote to override his veto.
Though there has not been an election between then and now to drastically change the number of votes in the House or Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that her chamber will vote as early as Friday a new supplemental war funding bill essentially written using the same language.
The President has asked for nearly $200 billion to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Pelosi said Congress will only give him a quarter of that -- $50 billion. That funding, she said, Bush would have to use to withdraw combat troops by the end of 2008 with the token force left behind focused on training Iraqis forces, tracking down terrorists, and securing Iraq's borders.
Pelosi said it is important for congressional Democrats to reassert their platform for a change in direction in Iraq.
"This is not a supplemental that says to the president you asked for it, you got it -- no questions asked," Pelosi told reporters, adding that the President has a "tin ear and a blind eye" to what is going on the ground in Iraq.
"This is not working. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. We must reverse it. We come here and take an oath of office to protect America," Pelosi said.
In addition to the withdrawal language, in an attempt to clarify the illegality of waterboarding, Pelosi said House Democrats will attach language that clarifies the army field manual "will determine how we do our interrogations." The Army field manual expressly prohibits waterboarding.
Pelosi dismissed a question on whether another vote on withdrawal, even if it is star-crossed, is meant to mollify a frustrated Democratic base.
"I don't reject the idea that the base is dissatisfied. They have been all along. But for many of us here, the war is the premier issue. You talk about ethics. The war is a big ethical issue. We are there without strategy for success. Without a reason to stay," she said.
More recent votes on withdrawal were blocked by Republicans in the Senate, where even with some Republican support, Democrats do not have the 60 votes they need to force a vote. Republicans allowed the withdrawal plan to pas last year only when it was attached to the spending bill. Ultimately, when Pelosi and Democrats say they will "not give the President a blank check," it is the sharpest arrow in their legislative quiver. Their primary government function is signing the checks.
Funding bills have become the front line in the political war between President Bush and Congress. This week, he complained again that Congress had not yet sent him any of the 12 annual spending bills that Congress is supposed to pass even though he has threatened to veto all but two of them over $22 billion the Democrats have appropriated over what the President has said he'll approve.
One of the two bills he has not threatened to veto is the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs spending bill, which Democrats in the House had tied to a funding bill for the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, which contains half of the disputed $22 billion.
Republicans in the Senate blocked that combo bill on a technicality and Democrats are set to send the President the controversial Labor/HHS bill before they send him the bill with VA funding. The backdrop of Veterans Day, Monday, has provided Republicans with an opportunity to create an artificial deadline for the Veterans bill.
Pelosi defended Democrats' record on veterans spending. Today she said the bill passed by Democrats represents the largest ever boost in spending for veterans. She said Democrats are trying to "leave no veteran behind" -- a play on the President's testing-oriented system of carrots and sticks for access to federal education dollars: "no child left behind."
November 8, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (14)
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Pelosi is clueless, her leadership of the House is a disaster, the lefty nutroots are furious, and Cindy Sheehan will challenge her for her own district. The Republicans outsmart them at every turn. Lefty surrogate groups are targeting moderate Democrats in their primaries, driving the party farther off the Leftward cliff.
The Surge is succeeding, and Iraqi violence is down drastically. Even the NY Times has to admit it:
American forces have routed al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, from every neighborhood of Baghdad, a top American general said today, allowing American troops involved in the 'surge' to depart as planned.......Murder victims are down 80 percent from where they were at the peak,” and attacks involving improvised bombs are down 70 percent, he said.
We haven’t won in Iraq yet--but after dumping Rumsfeld’s 4 year long failed bloody strategy--we are now finally winning. Displaced people are returning to their homes in large numbers.
Pelosi and Reid are batting ZERO for twelve on FY 2008 appropriations bills--THE most important function of the Congress.
Their Zogby approval rating has plummeted to 11%--which is below that of cold French fries, warm beer, and root canals.
Posted by: carl | Nov 8, 2007 12:42:18 PM
"Pelosi told reporters...that the President has a "tin ear and a blind eye" to what is going on the ground in Iraq."
Once again the Demo(lition)crats have stated where they are actually at. They are the ones who have a "tin ear and a blind eye" about what is going on in Iraq.
Demolition: Noun: The act or process of demolishing or being demolished.
A pretty good description of today's Democratic Party philosophy, don't you think?
Posted by: Merle | Nov 8, 2007 1:24:16 PM
Pelosi - if you don't quit CLAIMING something then backing down later - you will RUIN the Democratic Party.
If you are going to SAY something then BACK IT UP with VOTES. Otherwise just sign the blank check and keep quiet - PLEASE.
Posted by: Coonsey | Nov 9, 2007 9:42:31 AM
I finally figured out that Pelosi took impeachment off the table because after getting it done bush and cheney would just ignore it. Pelosi knew when that happened the country was finished. Thanks Nancy for figuring that out and destroying the republican party was always the better route to save this nation.
Posted by: daddy | Nov 9, 2007 10:12:13 AM
When will Nan ever learn. Look for all the NEW media to start the Republicans are obstructionists mantra. Where was the NY Slime, Newsleak, Washington Compost, when the DEMs were obstructing the REPs? Now it's time for the DEMs to be in charge and their flailing like fish on land. They have the majority they will be held responsible for inaction. This is a REAL do-nothing congress. Time for the GOP to take advantage.
Posted by: Dean O | Nov 9, 2007 10:46:39 AM
I hope the first override gives them the backbone to continue ---
Posted by: Paulet | Nov 9, 2007 12:21:45 PM
Trying to get the Repubicans to agree with the Dems on Iraq for an override of GWB's vetoes is the same as fighting the so-called war in Iraq, they are both losing battles. Unfortunately, the Dems are getting the blame for congress not working when it is actually the Repubs who are blocking every override by not standing with the Dems and challenging GWB on Iraq. Are all the Repub politicians making too much money from the war to stop the war? Sure makes some of us wonder now.
Posted by: Ron | Nov 9, 2007 12:32:59 PM
PELOSI DO ANOTHER TRIP TO SYRIA OR SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE-EAST, THIS WOMAN IS CLUELESS. NANCY PELOSI HAS DONE NOTHING WHAT THE DEMO-CRITS HAS DONE EVER SINCE WINNING THE SENATE OR CONGRESS...WHERE'S OBAMA WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR OUR HEATING FUEL IN CHICAGO...OH YEAH TAKE REID WITH YOU MAYBE HE MIGHT NEGIOTATE WITH OSAMA BIN LADEN, HE HATES OUR U.S. MILITARY ANYWAYS...
Posted by: JOHN | Nov 9, 2007 4:19:16 PM
ANOTHER RUBBER STAMP... THOSE LAME DUCKS SEATING IN CONGRESS OR THE SENATE ARE FIGHTING AMONG THEMSELVES, OR TOO BUSY TRYING TO WIN A SEAT IN THE WHITE HOUSE...PELOSI, REID WHY DON'T YOU SPEND A WHOLE DAY WITH PRESIDENT BUSH, DIANE FEINSTEIN HAD SPENT THE WHOLE DAY WITH HIM NOW SHE REALIZED HE'S NOT A BAD GUY...THIS IS WHEN THE WILDFIRES WERE HAPPENING IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA...YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT THE WAR IN IRAQ WHILE MORE AMERICANS DIED FROM ILLEGALS ALIENS COMMITTING ATROCITIES IN OUR HOME, AND WE SPEND BILLIONS A YEARS TO SUPPORT THEIR KIDS, HEALTHCARE AND EVERYTHING ELSE SO CORPORATE AMERICA CAN SAVE MONEY TO EMPLOY ILLEGALS TO WORK FOR LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE...IT'S A FACT DEMOCRITS OWN MORE CORPORATION TO EMPLOY ILLEGALS SO THEY CAN MAKE MORE PROFIT...JUST LIKE THAT IDIOT WHO BROUGHT HIS CABBAGE PATCH FARM IN MEXICO WHO IS LIFE TIME DEMOCRAT SUPPORTER...
Posted by: jude | Nov 9, 2007 4:28:04 PM
If congress had followed the Constitution we would not be having this discussion now. Ron Paul brought the bill to the floor to vote yes or no to declare war on Iraq. Had congress followed the Constitution instead of unConstitutionally giving the president free reign to attack Iraq at his will, congress could stop the war NOW. But they didn't, so they can't, so until we the people wake up and elect Ron Paul, the war will drag on for decades.
Posted by: WizarDave | Nov 10, 2007 1:03:35 AM
PELOSI needs to quit and become the only thing she is qualifed for, being a grandmother - originality is not her strong point. This Democratic led congress is one of the worst in over half a century. Between PELOSI and REID I can't tell who is worse. Give the surge another 6 months, train the Iraqi's as much as possible in that amount of time then slowly pull out even if its not going well. Don't announce a pull out date like the idiot Politicians want.
Posted by: Rin Tin Tin | Nov 10, 2007 5:09:11 PM
I bet the grippers screaming in this article's response have NEVER served in the military. Why do chicken hawks always want to go to War and continue Wars? I'm with Ezra Mondeva, Semper Fi! My family has served in the military since 1776 and we HAVE NO BUSINESS IN IRAQ!
Posted by: Sandra Lea | Nov 11, 2007 4:31:42 PM
another feabile attempt by Harry and Nan. Two more useless pols in the history of the US. HArry "do nothing" Reid is so inept he can't pass one funding bill -and the Senate takes every friday off. So much for doing the peoples work and setting a new agenda. What a lark. Nan and harry need to be booted from office just like Daschle was.
Posted by: dean o | Nov 11, 2007 5:20:23 PM
Just great.
We have Furer in power,
house full of political whores,
and mostly ignorant public,
so much for "DEMOCRACY".
After all for every empire
there is Caligula
Posted by: Nick | Nov 13, 2007 12:13:44 PM
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