Santorum: Bush’s Iraq Approach Is ‘Lincolnesque’
Santorum: Bush’s Iraq Approach Is ‘Lincolnesque’
Today on Fox News, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) said President Bush’s approach to the war in Iraq, particularly his recent speech, was “Lincolnesque.”
Fox Host Martha MacCallum asked Santorum what he thought of the criticism that President Bush “is just going his own way, not listening to the people, not listening to Congress.” Santorum responded, “Good for him.” Santorum also added that Bush understands, but most people aren’t aware, that we are already at war with Iran. Watch it:
Transcript: More »
- Comments
- 201
Top Commander Downplays Impact Of Escalation, No Significant Effect ‘Until Summer Or Fall’
Top Commander Downplays Impact Of Escalation, No Significant Effect ‘Until Summer Or Fall’
President Bush’s plan for escalating the war in Iraq has begun and, barring an intervention from Congress, over 20,000 more U.S. troops will soon be in the crossfire of a brutal civil war.
The top generals on the ground are trying to keep expectations low. Yesterday, Gen. George Casey, the outgoing top U.S. military commander in Iraq, warned that it is “going to take time” and no one should evaluate the impact of the plan until “summer or Fall.” Watch it:
Transcript: More »
Bush’s rallying cry backfires.
Bush’s rallying cry backfires.
“President Bush’s address to the nation last week outlining a ‘new way forward’ in Iraq failed to move public opinion in support of his plan to increase U.S. troop levels and left Americans more pessimistic about the likely outcome of the war.”
Everything is Unacceptable.
Everything is Unacceptable.
“In six years in office, President Bush has found a lot of things to be unacceptable — most recently, the situation in Iraq.” The Swamp has the full rundown.
Will Bush make a climate U-turn?
Will Bush make a climate U-turn?
Senior British officials say Bush “is preparing to make a historic shift in his position on global warming when he makes his State of the Union speech later this month.”
Bush: I’m Sending More Troops To Iraq No Matter What Congress Does
Bush: I’m Sending More Troops To Iraq No Matter What Congress Does
This week, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced a resolution requiring President Bush to gain new congressional authorization before escalating the War in Iraq.
President Bush, however, says that he is going to send more troops to Iraq no matter what Congress does. Watch an excerpt from his 60 Minutes interview tonight:
Legal scholars on the right and left agree that Congress has the legal power to prevent an escalation or end the war completely.
Transcript: More »
Snow: Michelle Malkin Is A Soldier In The ‘New Media War’ On Biased Iraq Coverage
Snow: Michelle Malkin Is A Soldier In The ‘New Media War’ On Biased Iraq Coverage
The American public overwhelmingly opposes Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq and the White House blames the media. Yesterday on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, Tony Snow vowed to fight a “new media war” to combat the coverage:
HH: All right, yesterday, the President also mentioned that there will be lots of carnage on television screens. Is the administration, and especially the Pentagon, prepared to fight the new media war when that starts to happen, Tony Snow?
TS: We’ve been fighting it. I mean, it’s not that it has started to happen, it’s been going on for some time.
Snow specifically cited right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin, who is currently embedded in Iraq, as a soldier for truth in the “media war”:
What is interesting, Hugh, and you know this as well as anybody else, you’re also starting to see little glimmers of guys like Michael Yon and others who get over there and they basically embed themselves in Iraq, and Michelle Malkin’s over there now.
Several times during the interview, Tony Snow referenced Malkin’s work on the Jamil Hussein “story.”
Michelle Malkin has been obsessed in recent months claiming that Hussein — an Iraqi policeman cited as a source by the Associated Press in a story about the burning of six people during a sectarian attack — does not exist. The Iraqi government recently debunked the conspiracy theory, acknowledging that the AP’s source was in fact a police officer in Iraq.
Great moments in Bush’s Iraq speeches.
Great moments in Bush’s Iraq speeches.
MSNBC takes a look back from “this will not be a campaign of half-measures” to “mistakes have been made.”
Fox News Anchor Calls Ted Kennedy A ‘Hostile Enemy Right Here On The Home Front’
Fox News Anchor Calls Ted Kennedy A ‘Hostile Enemy Right Here On The Home Front’
This morning on Fox News, anchor Gretchen Carlson called Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) a “hostile enemy” of the United States because he has demanded that Congress vote on whether to approve funding for escalation in Iraq. In an interview with White House counselor Dan Bartlett, Carlson compared Kennedy to insurgents and terrorists in Iraq, saying that Kennedy represented the same kind of force “right here on the home front.” Watch it:
Dan Bartlett disagreed, saying that the White House doesn’t “view Ted Kennedy as a hostile enemy” of the United States.
Transcript: More »
FACT CHECK: Congress Has Repeatedly Placed Limits On Military Deployments And Funding
FACT CHECK: Congress Has Repeatedly Placed Limits On Military Deployments And Funding
Tomorrow night at 9 p.m. EST, President Bush will address the nation and announce an escalation of the war in Iraq by sending about 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq. Can Congress do anything about it?
Some members have claimed that anything other than symbolic action is unconstitutional. Legal scholars on both the left and the right say that’s false. History supports their case.
A new report from the Center for American Progress details how, over the last 35 years, Congress has passed bills, enacted into law, that capped the size of military deployments, prohibited funding for existing or prospective deployment, and placed limits and conditions on the timing and nature of deployments. Some examples:
December 1970. P.L. 91-652 — Supplemental Foreign Assistance Law. The Church-Cooper amendment prohibited the use of any funds for the introduction of U.S. troops to Cambodia or provide military advisors to Cambodian forces.
December 1974. P.L. 93-559 — Foreign Assistance Act of 1974. The Congress established a personnel ceiling of 4000 Americans in Vietnam within six months of enactment and 3000 Americans within one year.
June 1983. P.L. 98-43 — The Lebanon Emergency Assistance Act of 1983. The Congress required the president to return to seek statutory authorization if he sought to expand the size of the U.S. contingent of the Multinational Force in Lebanon.
June 1984. P.L. 98-525 — The Defense Authorization Act. The Congress capped the end strength level of United States forces assigned to permanent duty in European NATO countries at 324,400.
November 1993. P.L. 103-139. The Congress limited the use of funding in Somalia for operations of U.S. military personnel only until March 31, 1994, permitting expenditure of funds for the mission thereafter only if the president sought and Congress provided specific authorization.
Read the full report for more examples.
VIDEO: Oliver North Says Nearly All U.S. Troops In Iraq Oppose Escalation
VIDEO: Oliver North Says Nearly All U.S. Troops In Iraq Oppose Escalation
Last night on the O’Reilly Factor, former Col. Oliver North — now a conservative military analyst for Fox News — said that on his recent trip to Baghdad he learned that “nearly all” U.S. troops opposed escalating the war in Iraq. They told North, “We don’t need more American troops; we need more Iraqi troops.”
North added that Bush’s proposal “sounds eerily like Lyndon Johnson’s plan to save Vietnam in the 60s by gradual escalation as a way not to lose.” Watch it:
Greg Sargent has more.
Transcript: More »
“Three years is a long ways away.”
VIDEO FLASHBACK: Bush Says Sending More Troops To Iraq Would ‘Undermine Our Strategy’
VIDEO FLASHBACK: Bush Says Sending More Troops To Iraq Would ‘Undermine Our Strategy’
On Wednesday night, President Bush is expected to announce plans to escalate the war in Iraq by sending more U.S. troops. On June 28, 2005 — just 18 months ago — Bush said that sending more troops to Iraq would “undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead” and “suggest that we intend to stay forever.” Watch it:
Bush prefaced his comments by saying that, “If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them.” Last month, Gen. Abizaid revealed that he asked all the commanders on the ground and none of them wanted more troops. Shortly thereafter, Abizaid was replaced.
Transcript: More »
FACT CHECK: Congress Does Not Have To Fund Escalation In Iraq
FACT CHECK: Congress Does Not Have To Fund Escalation In Iraq
Last night on ABC News, newly elected Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-KS) said she would support funding for 20,000-40,000 more troops in Iraq because President Bush “is the commander in chief. …We don’t get that choice. Congress doesn’t make that decision.” Watch it:
Boyda is wrong on the facts. A recent Center for American Progress memo explains how Congress could — and should — prevent Bush from sending more troops into a civil war in Iraq without a clear mission. An excerpt:
Although the new Congress should not refuse to provide the funds that the troops already in Iraq and Afghanistan need, it can place an amendment on the supplemental funding bill that states that if the administration wants to increase the number of troops in Iraq above 150,000, it must provide a plan for their purpose and require an up or down vote on exceeding that number.
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), an Iraq war veteran, came out strongly in opposition to escalation, saying, “We need to listen to the military experts, people like Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. Abizaid, that say, ‘Listen, the surge isn’t going to work.’” Another newly elected member, Rep. Health Shuler (D-NC) was more circumspect. Shuler said he didn’t think escalation was “the solution” but would consider it if “that’s what our military leaders said.”
Transcript: More »
Lott: I May Oppose Troop Escalation
Lott: I May Oppose Troop Escalation
Yesterday on MSNBC, Trent Lott (R-MS), the second ranking Republican in the Senate, said that he may oppose troop escalation in Iraq. Watch it:
Lott’s comments are particularly significant because, as the Minority Whip, he’s responsible for bringing his caucus in line with the Senate leadership’s position. If he’s not for escalation in Iraq, it’s unlikely there will be any serious effort in the Senate to get other members of his caucus to support it.
Transcript: More »
Thank you for being a friend.
Thank you for being a friend.
Harriet Miers, Bush’s failed Supreme Court nominee, has submitted her resignation as White House counsel. Here’s our video tribute, from back in the day of her Supreme Court nomination:
UPDATE: Miers pushed out?
The White House strongly hinted that White House Counsel Harriet Miers’s departure had been encouraged. She had a “series of conversations in recent days” with Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, Snow said, and “she made her decision yesterday,” i.e. Wednesday. People close to the White House say Bolten had hoped to make a change in the counsel’s office when he took over in the spring of 2006. Miers’s style didn’t mesh well with that of the crisply organized former investment banker, people who know them say.
Murtha Plans To Deny Bush Funding For Troop Escalation
Murtha Plans To Deny Bush Funding For Troop Escalation
President Bush is widely expected to announce a plan next week to increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq by at least 20,000. Congress may not cooperate.
In an interview with Arianna Huffington, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), the chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Committee, said he intends to block funding for any escalation plan. An excerpt:
When we asked about the likelihood of the president sending additional troops to Iraq, Murtha was adamant. “The only way you can have a troop surge,” he told us, “is to extend the tours of people whose tours have already been extended, or to send back people who have just gotten back home.” He explained at length how our military forces are already stretched to the breaking point, with our strategic reserve so depleted we are unprepared to face any additional threats to the country. So does that mean there will be no surge? Murtha offered us a “with Bush anything is possible” look, then said: “Money is the only way we can stop it for sure.”…
He says he wants to “fence the funding,” denying the president the resources to escalate the war, instead using the money to take care of the soldiers as we bring them home from Iraq “as soon as we can.”
A memo from the Center for American Progress, released December 27, recommends “an amendment on the supplemental funding bill that states that if the administration wants to increase the number of troops in Iraq above 150,000, it must provide a plan for their purpose and require an up or down vote on exceeding that number.”
Bush Ignores Law, Fails To Appoint Policy Coordinator For North Korea
Bush Ignores Law, Fails To Appoint Policy Coordinator For North Korea
Since President Bush has been in office, North Korea has developed 10-11 bombs worth of plutonium, suitable for use in nuclear weapons, and conducted its first nuclear weapons test. All of the administration’s efforts to control North Korea’s nuclear program have failed.
Congress decided something had to be done. On Sept. 30, 2006, Congress passed the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, which required the President to appoint a Coordinator of Policy on North Korea to “provide policy direction and leadership for negotiations with North Korea relating to nuclear weapons.”
Bush signed the act into law on Oct. 17, 2006. The law required Bush to make the appointment within 60 days. Here’s the relevant section:
The 60 days were up on Dec. 16, 2006, which was 19 days ago. The situation in North Korea continues to deteriorate, but Bush still won’t act.
Senate may have filibuster-proof margin for climate bill.
Senate may have filibuster-proof margin for climate bill.
Energy and Environment Daily reports, “Several prominent sources ready to track the upcoming legislative debate say Senate Democrats may be positioned to move a [climate change] bill faster than the House, perhaps even with the make-or-break 60 vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.” Industry attorney Mark Menezes said, “I think 60 is in play depending on how it’s written.”
Administration Official: Troop Escalation ‘More Of A Political Decision Than A Military One’
Administration Official: Troop Escalation ‘More Of A Political Decision Than A Military One’
CNN reports “President Bush is expected to announce his new Iraq strategy in an address to the nation early next week.” According to the BBC, “The speech will reveal a plan to send more US troops to Iraq.”
Last night on NBC News, Jim Miklaszewski reported that the new strategy will be announced next Tuesday, and that an administration official “admitted to us today that this surge option is more of a political decision than a military one.” Watch it:
Just weeks ago, CentCom commander Gen. John Abizaid told Congress “I met with every divisional commander, General Casey, the corps commander, General Dempsey, we all talked together. And I said, in your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American Troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success in Iraq? And they all said no.”
Transcript: More »
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll