McCain is at it again. He seems to be more than willing to strike another "Gang of 14" compromise. Here are some of the details:
The Republican senators urging " a deal" to allow the Democrats to get a vote on Biden without getting the 60 votes for cloture clearly do not believe General Petraeus or Secretary Gates or don't care about stopping an "encouragement to the enemy." Instead of demanding that republican senators not vote for cloture, John McCain is joining John Warner in seeking a "compromise" on this issue, Gang of 14 style, that will end up handing the Democrats what they want --a victory on the Biden resolution. If Mitch McConnell agrees to this deal, he will be signaling the GOP base that nothing --nothing-- has changed in D.C. when it comes to the Senate Republicans.More details:
What part of "encouragement to the enemy" don't the Republican senators understand? [Umph added.] They can stop the Biden resolution, or at least do the public the service of illuminating which republicans are willing to join Democrats in providing that encouragement. There is no valid reason --none-- to agree to cloture.
Americans who are serious about the war cannot tolerate the Biden/Warner resolutions, and sense in John McCain's attempt to produce another "Gang of 14" deal not seriousness but opportunism. If Senator McConnell steps forward and simply declares these are not maneuvers worthy of a great country in a time of war, he will have the esteem and gratitude of those who are serious about the war. He and the other serious senators might lose --there might be 11 Republicans willing to expose themselves as defeatists who would join Democrats in voting for cloture on the Biden resolution.For more info and how to contact the Republican senators go here!
But the Republican senators might actually wake up to the reality that the Republican Party supports victory in the war, and act accordingly. The GOP senators ought to fight their political battles with at least one-tenth the effort for victory as the hundreds of thousands of Americans have fought real battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today, the WaPo ran THIS STORY about John Warner's 'redemption' on the front page. Excerpt:
ReplyDeleteVirginia Sen. John W. Warner's words betray the guilt he still carries about the Vietnam War and help explain why this pillar of the Republican establishment is leading a bipartisan revolt against the war plans of a president in his own party.
"I regret that I was not more outspoken" during the Vietnam War, the former Navy secretary said in an interview in his Capitol Hill office. "The Army generals would come in, 'Just send in another five or ten thousand.' You know, month after month. Another ten or fifteen thousand. They thought they could win it. We kept surging in those years. It didn't work."
Is that a lesson for what's going on in Iraq?
"Well, you don't forget something like that," he answers. There is a long pause, he closes his eyes and his voice gets softer. "No. You don't forget those things."
More than 30 years after Vietnam, Warner is once again watching as generals propose additional troops. But this time, he's not staying silent....
Pffft.
nobody objected when we surged troops levels before the election.
ReplyDeletethis new surge will not bring troop levels above those we've had in the past few years.
the whole freakin way the dems and the msm have spun this is positively anti-VICTORY.
they are NOT anti-war; they're on the other side.
btw, the last us combat troop left vietnam on 3/31/1973.
ReplyDeletesouth vietnam didn't fall until 1975 - two years later - ONLY WHEN THE SAME DEM LEFTIE DOVE PULLED THE PLUG ON THEM..
they are trying to do it again.