Feingold Sets Up Republicans to Win Two More Filibusters By David Swanson

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OpEdNews

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_080219_feingold_sets_up_rep.htm


Senator Russ Feingold (D., Wisc.) is preparing to give the Republicans in the Senate two more opportunities next week to grandstand and filibuster in favor of the occupation of Iraq. They will, of course, do so; and they will, of course, win.

....One of Feingold's bills proposes a delayed partial beginning of a withdrawal from an occupation that the vast majority of Americans (not to mention Iraqis) want completely ended. The other asks Bush to produce a report on his strategy for accomplishing the mythic mission that he uses to justify that same occupation. Both bills are written in Bush-Cheney vocabulary, promoting the very ideas they are intended to oh-so-weakly oppose.

The first bill, "S . 2633 To provide for the safe redeployment of United States troops from Iraq," by Feingold, Reid, and Menendez, says "The President shall promptly transition the mission of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq to the limited and temporary purposes set forth in subsection (d)." That sounds good, of course, until you read subsection d.

The bill even says that Bush "shall commence the safe, phased redeployment from Iraq of members of the United States Armed Forces who are not essential to the limited and temporary purposes set forth in subsection (d). Such redeployment shall be carried out in a manner that protects the safety and security of the United States Armed Forces." And that sounds good until you read subsection d, and until you realize that redeployment means sending the troops elsewhere in the empire, and until you realize that Feingold is promoting the idea that withdrawal, rather than continued deployment, somehow endangers soldiers.

The bill also proposes, in its own wimpy way, to use the power of the purse: "Effective 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and except as provided in subsection (d), no funds appropriated or otherwise made available under any provision of law may be obligated or expended to continue the deployment in Iraq of members of the United States Armed Forces." And that, too, sounds good until you read subsection d or realize that Bush and Cheney routinely misappropriate funds as they see fit, knowing full well that Congress will never impeach them for it. Also, bear in mind that 120 days from passing this would be the middle of next summer were it not guaranteed to be filibustered and guaranteed to be vetoed in the miraculous case that it overcame a filibuster. Remember, the point of this is to allow Democratic Senators to pretend to want to end the occupation of Iraq. The bill is worded to attract as many of them as possible.

So, what about subsection d? Here it is:

"The prohibition under subsection (c) shall not apply to the obligation or expenditure of funds for the following limited and temporary purposes:
(1) Conducting targeted operations, limited in duration and scope, against members of al Qaeda and affiliated international terrorist organizations.
(2) Providing security for personnel and infrastructure of the United States Government.
(3) Providing training to members of the Iraqi Security Forces who have not been involved in sectarian violence or in attacks upon the United States Armed Forces, provided that such training does not involve members of the United States Armed Forces taking part in combat operations or being embedded with Iraqi forces.
(4) Providing training, equipment, or other materiel to members of the United States Armed Forces to ensure, maintain, or improve their safety and security.
(5) Redeploying members of the United States Armed Forces from Iraq.

Of course, Senator Feingold thinks this is a smart bill to get a vote on. He thinks it'll attract more Democrats than last time, and maybe even some Republicans. And, if it doesn't actually become what passes for "law" these days, well, at least it's a step in the right direction. After all, what else can a senator possibly do? And aren't we all just filling time as respectably as we can until the new emperor ascends the thrown? Isn't there an election breathing down our necks a mere 10 months away?

Oh, I don't know, Senator, what COULD you POSSIBLY do? Maybe you could commit to FILIBUSTERING the next chunk of the funding that you claim to oppose!

MUCH MORE AT LINK

Authors Website: http://www.davidswanson.org

Authors Bio: DAVID SWANSON is a co-founder of After Downing Street, a writer and activist, and the Washington Director of Democrats.com. He is a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and serves on the Executive Council of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997.