I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view

Hi – just wanted to say good design and blog -

Could Congress pick up the pace a bit? People are dying for NOTHING.”

Don’t you see, they are not dying for nothing, they are dying for this administration to gain power, and the ability to gain control over the oil in Iraq, and other points close to Iraq. It’s not even close to over, not until we can control that area, and then the area’s around that region. Look up locations of military bases in that region, you’ll find that we have them all over the middle east, surrounding that region. This administration is just using its strong hold and iron fists to take control over the most oil rich countries because soon oil will be at a shortage, and do you think Iraq would have shared with us, no, so we have to take control now… Its just the beginning, watch!

What Biden said was that a new AUMF is the best way to stop the escalation. It might not be effective even so, as you say, but the main reason for doing it, to my mind, is to put the Constitution back into play.

If you think Dems don’t ‘own the war’ you must have some different party in mind. There are 73 out of 233 House Dems in the Out of Iraq caucus — Biden suggested there were maybe 40 votes total for a new AUMF, when 60 would be needed. So in the Dem Congress there are at least 150-170 caucus members who support in some regard the deployment of troops to the ME, though that number will certainly change once the war against Iran starts (if it cannot be stopped — which is highly doubtful with the arrival of a second carrier group in February).

A new AUMF would inherently cancel preceding ones.

We just don’t have the votes yet to pass one which does the trick.

The only reason to even consider a new AUMF would be after we repeal the two existing AUMFs, to cover the continued use of such force by the troops we already have engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan as is necessary for them to use as they extricate themselves from those countries. A new AUMF that tries to authorize any use of force beyond that needed on the way out, will have to have loopholes allowing the President to commit additional forces for emergent contingencies threatening the troops, willl not set firm deadlines for drawdown, and will therefore not limit anything. Worse, the new AUMF would make the Dems once again partially responsible for the on-going war, a result devoutly sought by the Republicans, and to be avoided by all but DINO Dems. Oh, I forgot, this is Hoyer’s idea.

Democrats shoud assume responsibility for the conduct of this war if and only if they achieve consensus on the one reasonable course now open to us — immediate and complete withdrawal. People who want Dems to pass a new AUMF that falls short of that, that authorizes continued war, simply want the war continued. They aren’t moderates or centrists, they’re DINOs, sellouts or self-deluded.

Nothing about Congress is understandable unless you can count the votes.

INVESTIGATION, INDICTMENT, IMPEACHMENT, REMOVAL.

Emphasis on the outing of crimes, not on useless demands (and anger) at what isn’t available yet.

Comment by Joanie Doe

Nice take. Now try saying it thru your mouth, hon.

#37 – Joe,
Quite a pipe dream.
Comment by CoffinsDrapedWithFlags

Yeah. Like Jason and Dick Cheney, I’ve really got my hopes up on this one.

The only reason people have to keep searching for these “creative” solutions is because no one wants to use the remedy the Constitution suppplies – and demands.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Out_of_Iraq_Congressional_Caucus

Here’s the list:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/ index…essional_Caucus

The Dem policy of support leads directly to the DLC. Regrettably, too many on the Left can’t tell the difference between OUR difference (and Pelosi, Dean, et al.) and the party as usual — and simply damn the Dems with a wide brush, ignoring the opposition within the party — opposition which is in acendency, but still not sufficient numbers to accomplish much of what people expect handed to them on a silver platter.

The Dem House caucus has 233 members.

233 – 73 = 160 representatives who are not members of the Out of Iraq caucus.

We, those of us who support that goal, are about 1/3 of the House Dems. So you should thank your lucky stars that Pelosi is the hottest House politician in decades, and that we are moving forward.

The situation in the Senate is FAR WORSE.

Biden made it clear last week that the best way to stop the war is to author another AUMF, which would supercede the first. He said, however, that it would require 60 votes, and they only have something like 40.

A LOT more public pressure is needed, not just handwringing and moaning about how hard it is to fight tyranny. That’s the birth-task of any American — JUST KEEP AT IT.

How many of you are going into the streets tomorrow to protest in support of the DC march?

I protest today (as usual) and tomorrow in support. I’m a bit sick of hearing people whine about the Congress, when they can’t even show up at THEIR OWN OFFICE, namely our public streets, and make their complaints known.

We have a lot of work still to be done. People who simply want to pout and throw tomatoes at “the Dems” — as if that was anything more than childish tantrums — need to put their asses into GEAR.

Boots, bottle of water, jacket, bandana, PROTEST SIGN. Exit front door.

I can’t comment on Steney Hoyer because I don’t know much about him. I spent the past 8 years trying to get rid of Ricky the Rooster Santorum. Finally succeeded.

Quite a pipe dream.

I am going to miss all of the ” underlings ” around here yelling ” Judd Help! I am spineless and defenseless and they are talking mean to me. Please make them stop! I am so psychologically damaged and unbalanced that this poster is really getting under my skin! ”

Please make them stop! I have no other recourse against true debaters and patriots other than to fold my tent and run to you for some kind of strange assistance that I never recieve by the way.

You democrats are all mental midgets.

Bwahahahaha!!

I strenuously disagree. If most Democrats and many Republicans, as you claim, want the war over NOW, then they are certainly not speaking vociferously on this issue by calling for the immediate withdrawal of those troops from that abattoir in Iraq. You seem to believe that Americans should be patient while those in Congress attempt to reach a compromise in getting those troops out of Iraq. As I and oldtree tried to point out, apparently in vain, the politicians began to slowly talk about bringing the war to an end in Vietnam in the late 1960s, and when it finally happened, approximately 20,000 more troops were killed. According to you, the calling for a withdrawal of the troops should not be rushed, conveniently ignoring the fact that thousands of American soldiers would probably wind up very dead and thousands more maimed and crippled, with missing limbs and severed spines and being brain damaged and psychologically traumatized from what they had witnessed and/or participated in in Iraq. Is this what you wish to happen? Because if you believe that the idea of withdrawal should not be rushed, then the possibility of more mounting [unnecessary] casualties will soon become a reality.

Sorry, never read comments first

for those of you that think we should be allowing congress to wait, you must not have been around for the vietnam debacle. You do not wait for congress to do anything, you have to tell them 2 years before they will ever do something, unless it is a campaign promise to get re elected

please, don’t be naive. our congress is almost completely corrupt, and there isn’t much going to change it unless we tell these crooks we mean to throw them out if they don’t do what we want. They are making money on this war, and are not going to end it unless the people of this country get mad about their inactivity, thus it has always been so in corrupt societies that profit by war

I don’t necessarily agree with the level of corruption, but you do bring up a good point.

While I’ve been defending the new Congress, I have left out one very important thing…

No matter whether you are happy about the actions so far or pissed, never ever stop telling your representatives (by phone, email, fax, or written letter) your thoughts and feelings!

Even though I am in the “I think they are doing the right thing” camp, I still tell them my opinion often.

It does make a difference.

Thanks for pointing that out, oldtree.