GOP Congress Out of Touch With Americans on War

In yet another sign that a seismic shift in Congressional power is needed in November, the House of Representatives voted 256-153 today to rejected a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. The Republican-controlled House passed a resolution, H. RES. 861, saying that "… it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq" and "…the United States is committed to the completion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq."

Of course, the Bush administration still has to contend with the problem that they've set no metric for how we will know when we've completed the mission. There's also that one, other little detail -- the American people were never told to begin with that the goal of the war was to "…create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq."

“2,500 troops killed, 18,000 wounded more than half of them permanently, the strain our military readiness and eroding our reputation in the world. Stay the course – I don’t think so. It’s time to face the facts," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on the House floor this morning. “The war in Iraq has been a mistake – a grotesque mistake. It must be our resolve to end the war as soon as possible and to resolve to not make similar mistakes in the future. We owe it to the American people and we owe it to the young men and women that we send in to fight the fight."

Meanwhile, the tin-eared GOP, apparently not understanding that the majority of Americans no longer support this war, offered more of the same: Stay the same bloody, mindless course.

"Retreat is not an option in Iraq," said House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) "Achieving victory is our only option ... We have no choice but to confront these terrorists, win the war on terror and spread freedom and democracy around the world."

What doesn't bode well for Boehner and his party this fall is that the majority of Americans don’t agree with that nonsense.

The most recent Gallup poll on Iraq, taken June 9-11, shows that, even with the benefit of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death last week, 6 in 10 Americans say that the United States' image in the world is "worse off," because of the Iraq war. When asked about the impact of the war on Americans themselves, 42 percent said that we are worse off, while 31 percent said "the same" and a surprising 26 percent think we are doing better.

These results have been supported by every other major poll done in 2006, which naturally begs the question: Who are the Republicans in Congress representing?

While the GOP continues to make speeches implying that people against the Iraq war are out of touch or, even worse, unpatriotic and treasonous, it is clear that Americans need to go to the polls on November 7 and clear Capitol Hill of those who are truly out of the mainstream.

Pelosi makes the argument that, in addition to avoiding more needless deaths in Iraq, a drastic leadership change is necessary for our national security.

“The Bush Iraq policy has diverted resources and attention from what should be the focus of our effort against terrorism in places like Afghanistan," said Pelosi. "The lack of stability and deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan is a casualty of the war in Iraq. The war has not made our country safer, it has not made our military stronger, it has caused great damage to our reputation in the world, and it has hindered the fight against terrorism."

You can reach Bob Geiger at geiger.bob@gmail.com and read more from him at Democrats.com.

than just on the war. Indeed, it seems they're intentionally out of touch on every imaginable issue.

It doesn't say that in the IWR, that's another little detail I've bitched about since days after he wrote his determination that Iraq was a danger and we needed to launch... Operation Iraqi Freedom - wtf??

"Retreat is not an option in Iraq," said House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) "Achieving victory is our only option ... We have no choice but to confront these terrorists, win the war on terror and spread freedom and democracy around the world."

I realized recently that I am totally fed up with the "war on terror". All that has been accomplished to date is a massive metastasis of the cancer. The currently prescribed "treatment" is way off base.

Can we leave Ira*q a bloody mess? What is it NOW? How are we improving on the situation? 130,000 US troops + whatever allies we have, cannot hold the peace or arrange for the delivery of basic human survival needs in a country of 26,000,000 people?
And yet we plan to take over the world (spread freedom . . . )? :dilemma:

I am truly frightened by people who spew and/or believe these lies.

I don't even remember where I saw it but this artcle said that, due to the war in Iraq, America is a less effective and in a weakened position.

It said that the leaders of other countries know this and are trying to take advantage of it. They know that this country is able to do much less now because of the way we are over-extended in Iraq.

So even if you are a chickenhawk who loves to sing 'stay the course' while waving the flag, can you really be supporting this country if you know that (by being there), it's keeping us in a weakened position?

I can't believe how many democrats voted for it also. the donkeys need a good shake up this election to remind them who their base is!

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They have three basic core voter groups:
1. Mindless "patriots"
2. Mindless religious fundies, and
3. Wealthy corporatists

They have to energize the first two by pumping them into a slathering fury at the "weak, godless, elitist, cut-and-run Democrats". Everything they do from now until November will be directed at energizing those voters. Their tactics and lies will make us want to puke, but they know their base is made up of insecure losers who must have enemies to hate, to look down on, so that for a brief moment each day they can feel superior to scum like us.

The Democrats should have boycotted this whole sham debate. They should have congregated somewhere and held a press conference telling the American people that the Democrats will no longer participate it the Republican's blatant insulting pandering to their core voters. The Democrats need to look Americans in the eye and tell them THIS is what the Republicans have done to our country. "Is this the country you want to leave to your kids? If not, vote the Republicans out in 2006!" It's. That. Simple.

republicans are morons, as a group

http://atheistethicist.blogspot.com/2006/06/house-resolution-861-iraq-and.html

Today, the House of Representatives debated House Resolution 861.

Sometimes, I wish that I was a member of Congress, and had the freedom to stand before the Democrats and Republicans where I can give them an honest assessment of their conduct.

From the Congressional Record: June 15, 2006

ALONZO FYFE (I - CO).

There are days when I am pleased to be an Independent. I can say the things that I actually hold to be true.

Today, I rise to urge you to pull this resolution.

Do you still beat your wife?

Yes or no.

Every R-type rep stands up and repeats the same stupid lie..... and yet not one voice of reason (democratic or otherwise) has questioned the stupidity of said lie. To Wit:

The Rethugs keep saying OVER and OVER that to even consider leaving Iraq is, in essence, refusing to support out troops. OK, HOW, might I ask, is that idea a means of NOT supporting our military??? You know - maybe there's this one big, STUPID notion that by abandoning the "stay-the-course" BS, it means we're gonna just LEAVE the military folks there - IN IRAQ - and let them figure out how to get back to the US as best they can on their own! Maybe that's what the Retugs think. And is it so unbelievable that they COULD BE that stupid??? I mean...... look where we are NOW!!!!

No, I really know what they're trying to do by waving that "abandon the support of the troops" crap all the time. They're counting on their base - the rifle-licking, "Shit howdy" gang to see this phrase and take it at face value.

Why, I ask, has not ONE Demo spokesperson pointed out that bringing our fighting folks home to where it's safe would REALLY constitute supporting them??? Forcing them to stay there - ad infinatum - and play Iraqi Roulette with IEDs and fanatics that would like to see Americans dead - THAT'S "supporting them"? That's like helping an alcoholic by buying him a case of booze!

We are SO pathetically vulnerable right now and yet our military's off guarding some other nation. I simply can not believe the lunacy that prevails in DC and elsewhere. Where the hell's the Common Sense Party when we need it?

The most recent Gallup poll on Iraq, taken June 9-11, shows that, even with the benefit of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death last week, 6 in 10 Americans say that the United States' image in the world is "worse off," because of the Iraq war. When asked about the impact of the war on Americans themselves, 42 percent said that we are worse off, while 31 percent said "the same" and a surprising 26 percent think we are doing better.

This still doesn't tell me what percentage of Americans believe setting an arbitrary timetable is a good idea. So, your whole premise that the GOP congress is out of touch by rejecting an arbitrary date for withdrawl (while that may certainly be true) is not supported by the Gallup Poll.