House passes bill to withdraw troops by April.
By on Jul 12th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
House passes bill to withdraw troops by April.
AP reports that the House today voted 223 to 201 to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by April 1, 2008, despite a veto threat from President Bush.
UPDATE: The Gavel has video from the debate HERE.
UPDATE II: Roll call vote here.
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Woohoo!!! Although it will never happen, a promising sight of what is to come in 2009!!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:25 pmWhat 76% of Americans want. Way to go out on a limb, Congress!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:26 pmThat’s what needed to happen. No way DumbDumb comes away from this looking good. Won’t pass, but it’s a start.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:27 pmThis bill is already dead. Good riddance.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:30 pmNot soon enough.
(Still better than nothing though)
July 12th, 2007 at 6:31 pmOnly the Senate matters. They’ll never override a veto.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:33 pmThe GOP thugs will block it. I hope they filabuster their little hearts out so every American can see how full of $hit they are!
On another note…Looks like Musharrif in Pakistan might call off elections due to a state emergency. What cha wanna bet that Bush does the same thing in 2008. After all, all the executive orders are there to do just that AND call martial law.
Welcome to Fascist America!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:34 pmIf that happens we might have to add politicians to the endangered species act…..
July 12th, 2007 at 6:36 pmWhat’s wrong with Kucinich? He voted against this bill! He talks big, but then turns around and votes like this? He’s a hypocrite.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:37 pmMy Rep voted NO. Surprise!!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:37 pmVETO
July 12th, 2007 at 6:40 pmZooey, what state? Where did you get the final vote? I was watching it but they were voting and taking calls…and my TV switched to Democracy Now! news, so I didn’ t catch the vote results.
Do you have a URL?
July 12th, 2007 at 6:40 pmThis is the right thing to do. We need to get our troops out of Iraq. Setting a date to withdraw forces will do that. Now hopefully the Senate will also do the same and the bill will be sent to Bush after it’s been sorted out in the conference committee and voted on a last time. Congress should keep sending these withdrawal bills to Bush, every time he votes it, he is standing against the wishes of the American people who want to withdraw forces from Iraq. Congress should make him go on the record. Democrats should make him and the GOP defend a policy that they all know has failed and has put us and our troops in greater danger.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:40 pm#9: He’s not happy with the deadline. He wants the troops out now. He’s a hero and you should be ashamed for calling him a hypocrite!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:41 pmWhat 76% of Americans want. Way to go out on a limb, Congress!
Comment by Neon Bunny
Yeah, I know. What risk takers, huh? I hope Congress just keep sending Bush bill after bill. let him veto them all. Maybe the citizens will start to understand who actually DOES support the troops.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:41 pmIf Kucinich voted against the bill, it is obvious that it fails to bring the troops home and END this madness soon enough for those of us who were in Vietnam seeing people get killed while Nixon and Kissinger were putting off for years ending the goddam war….they, like madman george kept seeing light at the end of the tunnel….and the dead saw only dark at the end of their patriotic duty…..some commander in chief we have…cares more about his ego than the lives of the troops
impeachment is just not sufficient payback for these criminals
July 12th, 2007 at 6:44 pmit will be vetoed if it gets thru senate, i hope they keep sending it back over and over ad nauseum…and don’t cave like with the last spending bill.
why didn’t conyers vote?
July 12th, 2007 at 6:45 pmI heard Gonzo’s going to testify again. Any idea when exactly?
July 12th, 2007 at 6:45 pmOn another note…Looks like Musharrif in Pakistan might call off elections due to a state emergency. What cha wanna bet that Bush does the same thing in 2008. After all, all the executive orders are there to do just that AND call martial law.
Welcome to Fascist America!
Comment by MsJoanne
I feel exactly the same way. All we need need is another (fake) terror attack next summer and bye-bye elections.
That’s ok though. My guess is that half of the military and half of the police wont go along with the program. And many heavily armed Americans won’t either.
Should be fun.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:46 pmTom, that became blatently obvious by yesterdays’ vote on the Webb bill. I called all the GOP a$$wipes to complain about them voting AGAINST the troops! You should have heard the excuses (that is from the staffers who even knew of the vote! Sheeesh!)
Here’s the list if anyone wants it. These jokers voted against the troops getting rest and training. WAY TO SUPPORT THE TROOPS!!
· Alexander (R-TN)
· Allard (R-CO)
· Barrasso (R-WY)
· Bennett (R-UT)
· Bond (R-MO)
· Bunning (R-KY)
· Burr (R-NC)
· Chambliss (R-GA)
· Coburn (R-OK)
· Cochran (R-MS)
· Corker (R-TN)
· Cornyn (R-TX)
· Craig (R-ID)
· Crapo (R-ID)
· DeMint (R-SC)
· Dole (R-NC)
· Domenici (R-NM)
· Ensign (R-NV)
· Enzi (R-WY)
· Graham (R-SC)
· Grassley (R-IA)
· Gregg (R-NH)
· Hatch (R-UT)
· Hutchison (R-TX)
· Inhofe (R-OK)
· Isakson (R-GA)
· Kyl (R-AZ)
· Lieberman (ID-CT)
· Lott (R-MS)
· Lugar (R-IN)
· Martinez (R-FL)
· McCain (R-AZ)
· McConnell (R-KY)
· Murkowski (R-AK)
· Roberts (R-KS)
· Sessions (R-AL)
· Shelby (R-AL)
· Specter (R-PA)
· Stevens (R-AK)
· Thune (R-SD)
· Voinovich (R-OH)
And here is a link to get phone numbers. http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ Just click on the state.
ENJOY! I sure did! ;-)
July 12th, 2007 at 6:46 pmConyer’s busy preparing the Miers’ contempt citation.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:47 pmJPV, alas, we now have Blackwater (who was pretty big in NOLA). We have few National Guard at home. We have even fewer military.
You think those paid mercenaries would give a 2nd thought to shooting you or me? (No more thought then Cheney himself!)
July 12th, 2007 at 6:49 pmMsJoanne: way to spread fear and defeatism. We’re nowhere near such a scenario and a lot of shit must hit the fan before we’re even close. There will be 2008 elections and in 2009 we’ll have a Democratic president.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:51 pmHurrah!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:53 pmNow when the veto comes, the impeachment follows.
Please God don’t let them cave like last time. You, Congress, hold the money. If the Republicans want to filibuster, let them, just don’t pass any more money going to the military. If Bush wants to veto, send the bill back, and continue to do so until he signs it. This is the one time when doing nothing is a good thing.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:54 pmThats what the long iron is for MsJoanne…they won’t see half the pissed off ppl that come calling once the civil war is under way.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:55 pmOOo OOo Aa Aah AAAAHHHH AAAAAHHHHH
I SURRENDER!!!! I SURRENDER!!!!!!!
AAAHH AAAHHHH AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 12th, 2007 at 6:56 pmPro Bono, defeatism? How about a dose of potential reality. Do you READ these Executive Orders and House Directives? I DO!
And, Bobh…YUP!
July 12th, 2007 at 7:04 pm>> I SURRENDER!!!! I SURRENDER!!!!!!!
Very nice. That hole in the wall is your enemy. Hand it your statement.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:05 pmGo Pelosi!
July 12th, 2007 at 7:06 pm#14: Setting a deadline is the only way the troops are going to come home. A bill requiring their immediate withdrawl (like in a one week time frame) is NEVER going to happen. Not even with a Democratic President. There is always going to be a transition period.
He’s not a hero. He just voted against a real timetable to get our troops out of the mess Bush has created.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:14 pmYeah. Right. Shrubya will veto it (not late enough — troops have to keep fighting there until at least January 20, 2009) and Congress won’t override. Sigh.
At least if we keep playing this little game, the troops will eventually see who’s supporting them and who isn’t.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:26 pmAt least if we keep playing this little game, the troops will eventually see who’s supporting them and who isn’t.
Comment by missmolly
They see, they see….*sigh*
July 12th, 2007 at 7:29 pmThey need to keep introducing new bills and bring them to a vote every single day – and keep PUSHING!!
July 12th, 2007 at 7:31 pmI agree with Tom, and i felt this way about the last spending bill for Iraq.
House passes bill
Bush vetos bill
House sends same bill back to Bush,
Bush vetos bill
House sends same bill back to Bush
…
Let Bush continue this cycle until he gets tired of Democrats pointing out that Bush hates the troops, He refuses to fund the war, He just hates America, he’s a danger to America, he’s not protecting Americans, whatever.
If you want, act like GOPers and just pull insane stuff out of your ass to say about Bush until he signs this bill, but make sure it’s all that comes across his desk. Hell, let him veto it until they run out of all funds. If he really wants to act like a baby, then let him.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:32 pmthese are the dems that voted against this bill:
John Barrow (GA-12)
Dan Boren (OK-2)
Christopher Carney (PA-10)
Brad Ellsworth (IN-8)
Tim Holden (PA-17)
Dennis Kucinich (OH-10)
Jim Marshall (GA-8)
Jim Matheson (UT-2)
Vic Snyder (AR-2)
Gene Taylor (MS-4)
i used to live in IN-8. it’s a pretty conservative district.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:43 pmWhich will be killed in the Senate and even if passed in that chamber, vetoed by Chimpy.
Begin criminal investigations of the NSA wiretapping program and begin subpoenas, then impeachment proceedings when they refuse to comply and/or for their patently illegal activities in said NSA wiretapping.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:45 pm#36 Why did Kucinich vote no?
July 12th, 2007 at 7:46 pm“#36 Why did Kucinich vote no?
Comment by lestatdelc — July 12, 2007 @ 7:46 pm”
Probably because it still funds the troops and does not force an immediate withdraw.
His opinion has always been that if you vote to fund the war you are in support of it…..
Since it still funds the war, that would be my guess.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:56 pmi don’t think kucinich wants to vote for anything that isn’t an immediate slapdown of this president and his policies.
i have to say i kinda disagree, but dennis will be dennis.
this, incidentally, is exactly why i don’t think he’d be a good president – he seems to take the opposite end of the ‘only seeing things in black and white’ scale. it’s impractical and ultimately counterproductive.
i’d still like to see cheney impeached though.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:56 pm#40-
“Counterproductive”? On the contrary, defunding the war goes to the heart of the issue. As Kucinich has attempted to point out in the past, apparently to no avail, when a bill come in front of Congress for more funds for this unnecessary occupation, all the Democrats have to do is not vote for the bill. When that happens, the funds cease and the war machine will finally come to an end. Again, the Democrats [and the Republicans] have the power to bring this occupation to an end but inexplicably refuse to do so. Support the troops-bring them home safely-now.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:05 pmi don’t hear much criticism directed at u.s. military leadership, so i’ll make up for the negligence. iraq, after 10 years of sanctions, was a 3rd world country. we have spent more time there than in ww2. it has cost more than the vietnam war with no end in sight. our current military leadership is incompetent, corrupt, and basically not up to the job. they will wreck our equipment, kill and maim our enlisted men, and at the end of their terrible carreers, collect the big payday at some defense contractor. They have become nothing more than right-wing political hacks.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:13 pmerroll – yes, well i did say that in the context of him being a presidential candidate. i think what he does is great for the house (or senate even). but i think we’ve already got a stubborn extremist in the white house right now and we can pretty much see how that’s working out.
sorry but i think the president ultimately has to find a way to get things done (on MOST issues) that follows a consensus and not the ideological extremes.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:15 pm#43
“Ideological extremes”? If, as you point out, the president does not get things done, then the Congress can and should find ways to remedy what the president refuses to do. Having been in something called the Vietnam War, I recognize that cutting off the funds for an illegal and immoral war today should hardly be considered extreme. I consider over 3600 Americans killed and many thousands more returning to this country blinded, severly burned, paralyzed, having their limbs amputated, being brain damaged and returning here suffering from PTSD because of what they had witnessed and/or participated in while being in Iraq a hell of a lot more extreme than having Congress finding the courage to finally end this war. If it is considered extreme to make sure that no more Iraqis be added to the list of a million who have already died in Iraq because of the U.S. invasion to their homeland, then, to paraphrase one of the Founding Fathers, if this be extremism, then let us make the most of it. Support the troops-bring them home-cut off the funding-now.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:32 pmerroll, you’re conflating my points to apply to your own argument, which is not my intent at all.
i’m just saying we shouldn’t replace a president who is stubborn one way with a president who is stubborn in the opposite way.
sorry we disagree, but please spare me the exasperation. i was against this war from before its beginning, so i don’t need a lecture from you.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:35 pmthe truth is, the funding isn’t going to be cut off now, so this bill was a good way to start. if this had happened 6 months – a year ago, maybe we’d be starting to get out by now.
so if we start now with a bill that at least moves us toward the end, i’m all for it. it’s better than anything we’ve had prior.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:38 pm#45
Conflating? Hardly, as I was replying directly to your phrase of ideological extremes. If you are referring to Kucinich replacing Bush as being “stubborn in the opposite way”, then your meaning is quite ambiguous, as I have no idea what you think Kucinich would be stubborn about, unless it is daring to insist that the troops be pulled from that abattoir as quickly and as rapidly as possible. I also did not realize that because you have had the foresight to be against this occupation from the beginning, that that would mean that you are somehow supposed to be immune from receiving any type of criticism.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:06 pm