Terrified Republican Senators Set August Deadline for Iraq

OpEdNews

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_bob_fert_070401_terrified_republican.htm


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April 1, 2007

Terrified Republican Senators Set August Deadline for Iraq

By Bob Fertik

Labor Day 2007 marks the beginning of the 2008 election campaign. And come Labor Day, the last thing in the world Republicans want hanging around their necks is the disastrous Iraq War.

So what will they do about it? Andrea Mitchell spilled the beans on the Chris Matthews Show, and Think Progress has the video.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/01/petraeus-caucus/

> The Republicans were against the surge but they felt it was fait accompli, and that they were willing to give Petraeus until August. He told them there will be real progress by August. They have told him at a caucus meeting as very, very recently, that if there isn’t progress by August - and real progress means not a day of violence and a day of sanity - that they will pull the plug.<

This revelation is so stunning it needs to be broken out piece by piece.

1. Republican Senators met alone with Gen. Petraeus. Is it common for commanders to meet with separately with a Congressional minority? Or is this just another example of the GOP putting raw partisan politics ahead of national security?

2. Republican Senators micromanaged Gen. Petraeus. Isn't this one of the absolute unbreakable Republican rules, practically handed down to Moses with the Ten Commandments - that politicians should never micromanage commanders?

3. Republican Senators set a deadline for Iraq. How many times have Bushco shrieked that a deadline guarantees the humiliating defeat of our forces and the victory of terrorists? Why do Republican Senators hate America and love the terrorists?

4. What exactly do Republicans mean when they say "pull the plug"? The Supplemental Appropriations bills approved by Democrats in the House and Senate both call for phased withdrawals over the next 12-18 months. Would Senate Republicans support a Democratic plan, or would they offer a plan to leave Iraq even sooner?

5. Given this Republican betrayal, why did Bush repeatedly attack Democrats in his weekly radio address? Is he unaware his fellow Republicans are planning to "pull the plug" on Iraq?

These would be excellent questions for the White House Press Corpse to ask Dana Peroxide, dontcha think?



Authors Website: http://www.democrats.com

Authors Bio: Bob is founder of Democrats.com and co-founder of Afterdowningstreet.com

people think it's true.

Bunch of suckers, if you ask me....

in Washington (note - prior to the Novak column)that Joe Wilson's wife worked at the CIA". When she later had to take it back didn't she say she must have been drunk?