Boehner And Putnam Call For ‘Real Debate’ On Iraq, Then Criticize Congress For Taking Real Action
Boehner And Putnam Call For ‘Real Debate’ On Iraq, Then Criticize Congress For Taking Real Action
Nearly two months ago — as Congress began debate over a non-binding resolution that sought to put lawmakers on the record as to whether they supported escalation — conservatives complained that it was a “debate without any real consequence.” They derided the debate over the non-binding resolution as “a meaningless political stunt” and pure “political theater.”
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) called on the majority to produce a substantive proposal:
BOEHNER: “Why don’t we have the real debate and have the real vote and do it now? Let’s get out of the shadow boxing. Let’s get away from the non- binding resolution. Let’s get away from the slow bleed. Let’s just have the real debate that the American people want us to have and bring it to an end.” [CNN, 2/16/07]
PUTNAM: “If you’re not cutting off the funds for the troops in the field, then you are supporting the commander in chief’s policy. This gamesmanship sends the wrong message to our troops, and it is trying to have it both ways.” [SF Chronicle, 2/7/07]
This week, House Democrats did what the conservatives had been asking for. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced a legislative plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by August 2008 at the latest, tying the proposal to the authorization of funding for the war.
So how did Boehner and Putnam react to the news that Congress could now engage in a “real debate”? By shifting their attacks and blaming Congress for taking the action that they had been encouraging just weeks earlier:
BOEHNER: “The Democrats are using the critical troop funding bill to micromanage the war on terror, undermining our generals on the ground and slowly choking off resources for our troops. [Press Conference, 3/8/07]
PUTNAM: “Democrats have put forward a haphazardly created proposal that micromanages the war now in order to slowly bleed off funds for our troops later.” [Statement, 3/8/07]
Because House conservatives’ are so desperate to avoid an Iraq debate and provide cover for Bush’s Iraq policy, their hypocrisy knows no bounds.
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43 Responses to “Boehner And Putnam Call For ‘Real Debate’ On Iraq, Then Criticize Congress For Taking Real Action”
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you get what you asked for! now, you’ll have to live with it
March 10th, 2007 at 2:20 pmWhat a ‘BONER’.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:22 pmWhich country is this:
Can you guess without reading the article?
March 10th, 2007 at 2:23 pmRepubs were for a Iraq plan before they were against it.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:25 pmBTW, Boehner’s starting to look a little pale. He better get over to “Hollywood Tans” ASAP.
“shadow boxing” — how appropriate…
March 10th, 2007 at 2:26 pmWell, of course, the miserable skank bastards react just as we expect they would. As investigations commence, they can choose sides now. Tomorrow, they will all have to love with thier decisions. I feel sorry for none of them. It’s not like they haven’t been given ample opportunity to do the right thing for a long, long time.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:26 pmOpen mouth, insert foot.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:26 pmThe Dems aren’t interested in “micromanaging” the war. They are interested in ending it.
This distinction may strain the neurons of the Reptilian Party.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:30 pmWhat’s with that Boehner, anyway? Is he trying out for the teary-eyed, tired-ass old queen role, in some upcoming cameo? He just loves to turn on the emotion-faucet and give us that sad, orphan-look. Hand me a tissue, would you please, dear?
March 10th, 2007 at 2:36 pmBohner is on the short list or second list of evil doer’s…..He believes what he say’s, today one thing tomorrow something else, all to preserve the raid on our country and the world to help out the master mr. evil in charge cheney…Blessings
March 10th, 2007 at 2:37 pmIs it my imagination or does Boehner look just like a sockpuppet with Cheney’s hand ALL the way up his ass? I bet his mother (and many of his Ohio constituents) must be SOOOO ashamed!!
March 10th, 2007 at 2:39 pmThe American voting public wants out of the failed Bush/neocon Iraq debacle, elected GOP leaders want to stay. I guess we will see who wins this battle in the end. I have the feeling if enough of these GOP “conservative” lawmakers want to stay in Washington they will start seeing that America is sick of all the GOP death, debt, and war. And lies.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pmI think he look’s like he is on drug’s..Note the half open eye’s..He must have some one read his speaking notes from cheney and then try to remember in his half awake stupor, what to say…Disgusting example of something human..Blessings
March 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pmTee hee hee hee hee
March 10th, 2007 at 2:49 pmWho knew it would be so much fun to give them what they asked for!?!?!?!?
I can’t say this often enough. Every time a republican says that the democrats want to micromanage the war, someone needs to point out to him or her that, no, we propose to manage the war, something that has not actually been done in the last 4 years.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:56 pmIt’s about time SOMEONE managed this war be it “micromanage” or simply manage. The Bushie’s and Republics way of managing the war is to support the military industrial complex instead of supporting our troops. That’s the message that the Democrats should be putting out there, every day, until it finally sinks in that the Bushies and the Republics don’t support the troops in any way.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:57 pmBoehner aka Boner has to earn that stolen money by stalling and getting the 2.9 Trillion dollars for Halliburton. Bush told Boner to get off his ass and get those votes for the money. It’s all about the money not the troops. Boner got the Hammer’s job and now gets those pay off checks each month. That’s what SUPPORT OUR TROOPS MEAN, get the taxpayers money for Halliburton and puppet Iraq leaders.
March 10th, 2007 at 3:00 pmBush and the Repubs support the fine efforts of Halliburton and the good will of the Saudi Royals. This administration never cared about the troops and still finds them an embarrassment, better ignored than addressed.
March 10th, 2007 at 3:11 pmTest
March 10th, 2007 at 3:19 pmProof that their outcries are just political posturing…
March 10th, 2007 at 3:23 pmBoehner, A/K/A The Melanoma Kid is a double pud.
-GSD
March 10th, 2007 at 3:29 pmwhat did Pelosi say our surrender date in Iraq was? Do we surrender in 2008 sometime?
March 10th, 2007 at 4:04 pmwhat did Pelosi say our surrender date in Iraq was? Do we surrender in 2008 sometime?
Comment by muckdog — March 10, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
Surrender? I thought you loony neocons had already declared victory with your “mission accomplished” spectacular…
It’s your show - you mean you don’t know how it’s going to end (aka ‘exit strategy’)?
March 10th, 2007 at 4:09 pmwhat did Pelosi say our surrender date in Iraq was? Do we surrender in 2008 sometime?
Comment by muckdog
I didn’t ever hear Bushie declare war so who do you surrender to? Mission accomplished but not enough money in pocket - let’s stay longer. Its hard to reach goals that are never established.
Obviously W has lost the war against his incompetence, greed and stupidity and should surrender IMMEDIATELY!
March 10th, 2007 at 4:20 pmwatch too much of FOX and CNN, come on, grow up and learn to acknowledge the truth rather than live inside a soap bubble created by propaganda machines/spin doctors/liers to wage wars on false pretext(WMD) and steal others’ oil and wealth. Well, I am neither a fan of Saddam nor of Bush, but any fool on earth with an iota of sense can tell that Iraq before the USA occupation was far more a peaceful place than what’s today. Before the Iraqi invasion, an average person on the streets of Bagdad, be it Iraqi or Expatriate was perfectly safe as long he minds his own business. Before the Iraq invasion, out of 3 million foreigners there were 700,000 Indians living, working and raising their families in Iraq for several decades without any problem, so is the case for other expatriate communities including Americans. In fact, Iraq was the most liberal state in that region, which unfortunately has become a hotbed of all sorts of problems. Thanks to the USA occupation.
March 10th, 2007 at 4:57 pmWhy do Butnam and Poehner hate America?
March 10th, 2007 at 4:58 pmComment by muckdog — March 10, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
Muckdog has reasoned it out! The Democratic Party is going to surrender to Al Qaeda, handing over the Government of the United States of America to Osama bin Laden at the end of 2008, JUST AS A DEMOCRAT IS ELECTED PRESIDENT! That way the Democratic Party can stay out of power forever! What a brilliant plan by Pelosi!
/sarcasm
March 10th, 2007 at 5:12 pmSaturday, March 10, 2007
Iraqi Politicians Urge Rejection Of Draft Oil Law
Dow Jones Newswires reports on a conference of prominent Iraqi parliamentarians, politicians, ex-ministers and oil technocrats in Amman yesterday, hosted by the Iraqi Centre for Strategic Studies. The conference urged the Iraqi parliament to reject Iraq’s controversial hydrocarbon law, fearing that the new legislation would further divide the country already witnessing civil strife.
The real reason America wants talks with Iran and Syria , Steal Oil and Make sure neighbours are happy with the Idea
March 10th, 2007 at 6:14 pm[irony]
Republican motto: It’s not hypocrasy when *we* do it.
[/irony]
March 10th, 2007 at 6:26 pmPeople And Power: Death of the Dollar
Also search Aljazeeras ” People and Power” to see a good documentaries
Exposed: British government pushing oil interests in Iraq
The findings will be revealed this evening in a documentary on al-Jazeera’s English-language channel, as part of its ‘People and Power’ series.
March 10th, 2007 at 6:36 pmSchumer - like Democrats, hypocrites
http://www.macsmind.com/ wordpress/ 2007/ 03/ 10/ imus-nukes-schumer-on-his-hypocrisy/
March 10th, 2007 at 6:39 pmPut some bleachers out in the sun
March 10th, 2007 at 6:43 pmAnd have it out on Highway 61
“Slick Bounder” Boehner and “Putzy Pudding” Putnam, TWO PEA-BRAINS IN A POD-DUH!!!!! HYPOCRITES UNTIL THE BITTER END, ASKING FOR A FIGHT AND THEN CRYING “FOUL” WHEN THEY ARE CALLED ON IT–THESE SLIME-SUCKING TROGLODYTE repugnant-repub rightwingnut crank fudge-pachyderms ARE A LAUGH A MINUTE–WE SHOULD FIND A WAY TO CAN THEIR LUDICROUS PSYCHOBABBLE–MAKE A FORTUNE SELLING IT TO TIN-POT DEMAGOGUE DESPOTS AROUND THE WORLD AS “CANNED JINGOISTIC CLAPTRAP”!!!!!
March 10th, 2007 at 6:47 pmwho are these losers?
March 10th, 2007 at 6:48 pmDelhi,
Namaste
March 10th, 2007 at 7:28 pmDems should just go on record and vote for a BINDING resolution. I’m sure Dem pollsters have conveyed to theirDem clients just how popular such a vote will be with the American people. IF the war is as unpopular as Dems keep telling us - vote for a BINDING resolution.
March 10th, 2007 at 8:13 pmDems should go on record and vote to stop funding the war.
Support the troops. Stop funding their deaths.
March 10th, 2007 at 9:30 pm#6 You are right Transvestrodite. They should.
March 11th, 2007 at 3:54 amWow a couple drama queens.
I think it is interesting that they both chose the word “Micromanage” is that the word Frank Luntz chose as most effective for the talking points?
March 11th, 2007 at 8:21 amif they play the retughs game they lost with a wimper but if they play the game like the rethugs play the game and put in in there face come to the floor with there flip flops only make sure the dems have steel toes on there theres only when the dems get a set will this evercome to a resolution and make the rethugs look like what they r suck ups to preznit cheney and his monkey bush
March 11th, 2007 at 3:39 pmIraq: the hidden cost of the war
America won’t simply be paying with its dead. The Pentagon is trying to silence economists who predict that several decades of care for the wounded will amount to an unbelievable $2.5 trillion.
Casualty conspiracy
the number of wounded listed on the VA website dropped from 50,508 to 21,649. The Bush administration had, once again, turned reality on its head to concur with its claims.
So far, more than 200,000 veterans from the current Iraq or Afghanistan wars have been treated at VA centres. Twenty per cent of those brought home are suffering from serious brain or spinal injuries,
There is now a backlog of 400,000 claims from veterans and waiting lists of months, some of which “render . . . care virtually inaccessible”, in the words of Frances Murphy, the VA’s own deputy under-secretary for health. Claims are expected to hit 874,000 this year, 930,000 in 2008. Casualties returning from Iraq meanwhile outnumber other patients at Walter Reed 17 to one, and many have to be put up at nearby hotels and motels rather than in the hospital beds they desperately need. Suicide attempts are frequent; often the less wounded end up having to care for the more seriously wounded.
GEORGE BUSH HATES THE TROOPS BRING THEM HOME NOW.,.,.,.
March 11th, 2007 at 5:33 pmRep. Boehner spouts such a foolish concept to rationalize keeping the troops in Iraq: ‘…we need to fight them over there so they don’t come here..” Now think about that! How silly! Since we are ‘over there’ why don’t the terrorists come here and do their destruction? What better time for successful terrorism on our shores that while the Army is busy and away. Glad we did not have to fund him through West Point.
March 12th, 2007 at 12:12 amRepublicans are playing games over this.
Reality check. Your the minority, you have a voice but not the majority voice.
Republicans had control and failed miserably on oversight. For starters. Repubs in control handed us this mess.
They can attempt to go to offense but it wears very badly on the Repubs themselves.
You gave yourselves a raise in pay off the taxpayers, but found it hard to give the minimum wage earning taxpayer a little help.
March 12th, 2007 at 4:59 amYour party and ideology is a dead end…………………………….We all see it…………………………………………..