Crafty Democrats Get 17 Republicans To Take First Step: Non-Binding Resolution Against War Passes House 246-182: GOP Denigrates Effort, But Real Vote Would Fail In Senate Now! - RI10

Crafty Democrats Get 17

Republicans To Take First Step:

Non-Binding Resolution Against

War Passes House 246-182:

GOP Denigrates Effort, But Real

Vote Would Fail In Senate Now!

- RI10

 
ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS TONIGHT, news, debate and opinion for Friday, February 16th.

Live in New York, Lou Dobbs.

DOBBS: Good evening, everybody.

For the first time since the war in Iraq began, the House of Representatives has challenged the authority of the president to conduct this war. The vote, mostly along party lines, with 17 Republicans joining with Democrats. President Bush dismisses the non-binding resolution and focuses on what he expects will be Democratic efforts to cut off funding for the war.

Andrea Koppel tonight reports on the House Democrats' successful first challenge to the president's policy to wage war.

Suzanne Malveaux tonight reports from the White House on the president's aggressive reaction to the House vote. President Bush essentially daring the Congress to try to cut funds. And Jamie McIntyre reporting from the Pentagon on joint security operations in Baghdad, which appear to be keeping the peace, at least for now.

We begin with Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lou, the outcome was never in doubt, and Democrats say it is a first step towards forcing President Bush to change course in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Two hundred and forty- six. The nays are 182. The concurrent resolution is accepted without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

KOPPEL (voice over): For the first time since the war began, the House of Representatives told President Bush no. A big victory for Democrats.

PELOSI: It was a bipartisan, non-binding resolution that should send a very clear and firm message to the president of the United States that the American people spoke in November that they wanted a new direction in Iraq.

KOPPEL: The resolution has no force of law, but it did have the support of 17 Republicans who joined Democrats in opposing the president's troop plan.

REP. WALTER JONES (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I am proud to be part of this resolution. Debate has never hurt anyone.

KOPPEL: Republican leaders said the resolution would hurt troop morale and warned it was just the first step toward cutting off funds to the troops.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: The Democrats in the House and Senate intend to tie the president's hands when it comes to the conduct of war in Iraq. And that's why we want a vote in the House and Senate that says that we will not leave. The United States Congress will not cut funding for our troops in harm's way.

KOPPEL: The Republicans' case seemed to gather steam after Democrat John Murtha, who oversees the Pentagon's budget, repeated a pledge this week to tie future funding for the war to, among other things, troop readiness.

REP. VITO FOSSELLA (R), NEW YORK: Some now talk about a slow- bleed strategy to cut off funding to our troops. I ask, "If we surrender this battlefield, which battlefield will our enemy choose next? "Will it be New York? Will it be Los Angeles? Will it be Washington, D.C.?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Tomorrow the Senate will vote on whether to take up the same non-binding measure that just cleared the house. Until now, the Senate has been tied up in procedural knots on just what language and how many resolutions they'll debate on the Senate floor -- Lou.

DOBBS: Andrea, thank you.

Andrea Koppel from Capitol Hill.

President Bush looking past that House vote today. The president, on the offensive, pushing his agenda and essentially challenging Congress to try to stop funding for this war in Iraq.

Suzanne Malveaux has the report from the White House -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lou, it's definitely a symbolic blow to the White House. The president has said numerous times, look, it's OK, go ahead, to express your displeasure here by passing a non-binding resolution, but there is an "I dare you" factor here.

The president essentially saying to members of Congress, I dare you to pass a binding resolution that would actually cut funding to the troops. We got a statement from the press secretary today on this resolution saying, "The resolution is non-binding, soon Congress will have the opportunity to show its support for the troops in Iraq by funding the supplemental appropriations request the president has submitted and which our men and women in combat are counting on."

Tabacco: We must NOT permit the Republicans to define our politics with semantics, as the Democrats always allow them to. To “cut funding” for our troops is NOT THE ISSUE. The issue is to “cut funding” for a genocidal capitalist president, whose primary Profiteering tool is War in Oil-Producing, Islamic countries. That’s what we do when we cut funding! Putting our American soldiers in position to get killed is NOT “supporting our troops”; au contraire, bringing them home out of harm’s way is “supporting our troops”. The Republicans have TURNED THE TRUTH 180º, UPSIDE DOWN ON IT’S HEAD AGAIN.

This Bush argument is tantamount to the young man, who killed both his parents, then threw himself on the mercy of the Court because he was an orphan. That's known as Chutzpah!

Neocons are extremely accomplished at doing two things:

So what is his next move? President Bush, of course, trying to prove, Lou, that is ultimately going to work, that they are making progress inside of Iraq.

Today, he hosted the new American ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, here at the White House. He also picked up the phone, got on the phone with Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to talk about what is happening there.

He said there is some progress being made. That you have Iraqi troops moving, that they are close to some sort of oil revenue-sharing deal.

President Bush from earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It should give people here in the United States confidence that this government knows its responsibilities and is following through on those responsibilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Lou, so, essentially the White House and the president desperately looking for evidence, trying to convince the American people that he is working towards trying to make this Iraq plan work -- Lou.

DOBBS: Suzanne, thank you.

Suzanne Malveaux from the White House.

The U.S. military is reporting some positive results, as they put it, from the new security crackdown in Baghdad. But it is certainly too soon to say whether things are really better or whether militants are simply waiting out the new security approach.

Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After only a few days, the U.S. military says the joint U.S.-Iraqi security operation in Baghdad appears to be working, but conceded that may simply be because militia groups are keeping their powder dry.

MAJ. GEN. JOSEPH FIL, U.S. ARMY: There's an air of suspense throughout the city. Expectations, if you will. And we believe there's no question about it, that many of these extremists are -- are laying low.

MCINTYRE: Among those lying low is believed to be anti-American Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is now thought to be in Iran and whose Mehdi army is suspected in much of the anti-Sunni violence.

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I don't think he went there for a vacation. I think they are very concerned about the -- this operation.

MCINTYRE: Gates says he fully expected the violent elements would go to ground and that the strategy is designed to take advantage of that.

GATES: Can we and the Iraqis provide enough security so that the economic development, improvements in governance, political reconciliation can all begin to make real progress in Iraq?

MCINTYRE: Part of that job will fall to the man President Bush has nominated as U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker.

BUSH: I was telling the ambassador that I had a visit today with Prime Minister Maliki, via secure (INAUDIBLE). I was pleased that he is meeting benchmarks that he has set out for his government.

MCINTYRE: Those benchmarks include sending more Iraqi troops to Baghdad, giving them more robust rules of engagement, and committing $10 billion in Iraqi money for reconstruction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: But you know, Lou, success in Iraq is a relative thing. An Iraqi military spokesman touted the fact that in the Baghdad morgue, only 10 bodies had shown up overnight, compared to the usual 40 or 50. That, he insisted, was a big reduction in terror in Baghdad -- Lou. DOBBS: Absolutely. And ultimately, the most important measure.

Thank you very much.

Jamie McIntyre, from the Pentagon.

Even though Baghdad may now be relatively quiet, U.S. troops outside the city are under constant threat. Our troops patrolling the streets of Diyala, trying to keep the peace. The missions there taking a toll not just physically, but emotionally.

Arwa Damon reports from Baquba.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Any door could be booby-trapped, a sniper in any building, a roadside bomb in any pile of trash. Surviving is about controlling fear and staying alert.

It's always in the back of your mind what could happen. But you try not to think of that right when you're out working.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you talking to me, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How far down on the route?

DAMON: In a single morning, these soldiers held a brief memorial for one soldier and learned four more of their battalion had been killed. The toughest lessons of war are learned on the job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I used to say I was ready to come over here, but when you get here it's different than what you think it's going to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before I came over here I took for granted a lot -- family, you know, luxuries of life. Then you come over here and it's -- it's crazy.

DAMON (on camera): Here on the base, a poignant reminder of those who have fallen in the battle for Diyala. While no one who fought with them will ever forget them, commanders say the toughest part is talking to their families and worrying about how they will fare.

They say the two most common questions from loved ones are, "Did my son die alone?" and "Was he in pain?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take a couple of shots at it. It didn't turn out to be anything.

DAMON (voice over): The troops don't like to talk about it, but they admit privately that the mission here takes a massive emotional and mental toll. They say people back home can't understand. But what they share creates a bond between soldiers unlike any other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're like brothers. You know, we fight together, we move around together. We go through a lot of hardships together. So that type of environment fosters, you know, that bonding between -- between the people in our unit.

DAMON: A bond strengthened with time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my second tour. I feel better safe -- you know, kind of being trained up a little bit. And the ones that are being here for the first time is -- it ain't easy.

DAMON: It's not easy, but they do it, even if some have doubts in the mission. They say they do it for each other.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baquba, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0702/16/ldt.01.html



Senate to Vote on Iraq Troop Buildup

Sat Feb 17, 5:48 AM

WASHINGTON - Determined to check President Bush, Democratic critics of the Iraq war hope a strong House vote critical of the administration's troop buildup will pay dividends in the Senate. But Republicans are insisting on an alternative that rejects any reduction in troop funding, making it unlikely Democrats will prevail in a test vote Saturday.

"Americans deserve to know whether their senator stands with the president and his plan to deepen our military commitment in Iraq, or with the overwhelming majority of Americans who oppose this escalation," Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday on the eve of the Senate showdown.

The House on Friday passed, 246-182, a measure stating opposition to Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. The nonbinding resolution was a symbolic rebuke of a wartime president who has lost favor with the American public.

A sizable majority, 63 percent, opposes Bush's decision to send more troops, although support for Bush's plan has risen in the past few weeks from 26 percent to 35 percent, according to an AP-Ipsos poll.

"The passage of this legislation will signal a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home safely and soon," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Friday.

Earlier this month, Senate Democrats tried to push their own measure but failed when Republicans blocked debate. Republicans wanted members to be able to vote on a separate proposal by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., that promises not to cut off funds for troops in combat.

"That remains a demand of Senate Republicans," said Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "We think it's fundamentally fair and totally relevant to the issue at hand."

Several Republican senators wary of the president's Iraq plans were expected to side with Democrats, saying they were frustrated that Senate leaders had not been able to agree on the ground rules for such an important debate.

However, Democrats were still expected to fall shy of the 60 votes needed. But Reid said the vote would still help determine where members stand.

"Let us be clear: Anyone voting 'no' tomorrow is voting to give the president a green light to escalate the war," Reid said.

In the House, supporters of the nonbinding measure included 229 Democrats and 17 Republicans _ fewer GOP defections than Democrats had hoped to get and the White House and its allies had feared. Two Democrats _ Reps. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., and Jim Marshall, D-Ga. _ joined the 180 Republicans in opposition.

Bush has already said passage of the measure will not deter him from proceeding with the deployment of another 21,500 troops, designed primarily to quell sectarian violence in heavily populated Baghdad.
 
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(Transcribed by Tabacco – ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’, 2-16-07)
Bill Maher: The people, who are killing American troops in Iraq, are mostly the Sunnis. Saddam was a Sunni; the Sunnis were in charge; we got rid of Saddam; the Sunnis are not in charge. The Sunnis are killing us.

The people, who are providing weapons to the Sunnis, are the Saudi Arabians, their fellow Sunnis. The Shiite Iraqis are getting their Shiite weapons from the Iranians. So once again, just like after 9/11, we should be going to war with Saudi Arabia. But we’re not; we can’t do that. So we have to create all this bullshit about “It’s Iran”.
Tabacco: PS – In Iraq, the Sunnis are the Majority.


Tabacco: I never thought I’d be calling Democrats “Crafty” – but I am. Republicans stood up in the House and teased Democrats for NOT bringing a binding issue to the floor. Now you had to know those same Republicans would never have voted for any condemnation of the president or Bush’s War. They wanted to embarrass the Democrats into overstepping their voting potential, but the Democrats held fast in the House. These are the same GOP politicos, who wanted to elevate “Flag Burning” to a Constitutional Calamity.

Now only a handful of Republicans, voting affirmative in the Senate, will make that Tally look very convincing. Remember the Democratic Majority is very tenuous there with Connecticut’s Republican in Independent clothing, Joe Lieberman, supporting Bush on all major economic and military votes. We can all guess which Profiteers are putting green in Lieberman’s pockets. Without Republican support in the Senate, the vote will be no better than 50-50, and then only if every Democrat holds firm.

If you think this “Non-Binding” vote was irrelevant, then ask yourself why every news program, every Talking Head, every Pundit, including yours truly, is talking about it. If it were irrelevant, the Right-Wing wouldn’t even bother, would they, except to spew derisive laughter. I noticed that all the GOP pejoratives, all the venom, all the Sophistry about military morale was uttered in all seriousness. The derisive laughter was missing.

What do you think would happen re our troops in Iraq if tomorrow the soil there stopped yielding Black Gold? Suppose Iraq ran out of oil completely, do you think president Bush would keep them in Iraq, or would he immediately change his focus to Iran, where oil still flows? What do you think he would do in such a situation? It is very easy to protect our soldiers and our own soil; all you have to do is bring the troops home.


Tabacco: I consider myself both a funnel and a filter. I funnel information, not readily available on the Mass Media, which is ignored and/or suppressed. I filter out the irrelevancies and trivialities to save both the time and effort of my Readers and bring consternation to the enemies of Truth & Fairness! When you read Tabacco, if you don’t learn something NEW, I’ve wasted your time.


In 1981's 'Body Heat', Kathleen Turner said, "Knowledge is power".

 

T.A.B.A.C.C.O.  (Truth About Business And Congressional Crimes Organization)

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