No one has a "plan" for Iraq.

[kentuck]

The Republicans like to say that the Democrats love to criticize the Bush Administration over the mess in Iraq but they never offer a plan. The truth of the matter is that neither the Democrats or the Republicans have a plan. "Stay the course" is not a plan. Basically, they are telling everyone to keep dipping water out of the boat to prevent it from sinking. The Democrats are saying maybe we need to take this boat to shore but, in the meantime, we have no choice but to keep dipping out the water.

The bottom line is who should we trust to do a better job? The Republicans that got us in this mess or the Democrats who have been portrayed, erroneously in my opinion, as "weak" on defense? There is no plan from anyone.

[pooja]

1. Time to look at the appropriations for that 500billion dollar

fund and where it is going... must be going somewhere to pad someone's pocket.

[blm]

2. "no plan" Dems? Congress PASSED Kerry's plan for Iraq Summit Friday night.

They didn't pass a "Stay the course" plan from Bush - they passed KERRY'S legislation calling for a summit, just as he has urged for over THREE YEARS NOW.

Posted by kerrygoddess in GD-P:


Congress Approves Kerry Legislation Urging Summit of Iraq and Its Neighbors to End Civil War and Build Political Solution
September 30th, 2006 @ 2:27 pm

Early this morning, the U.S. Congress approved Senator John Kerry’s legislation calling for a summit of Iraq and its neighbors to arrive at a political solution to the growing civil war in Iraq. The legislation is part of John Kerry’s plan to force Iraqis to stand up for Iraq and bring American troops home, it was passed as part of the Defense Authorization bill. Given the news from Iraq today that Baghdad is under curfew over a suspected suicide bombing plot, it’s clear the situation in Iraq is continuing to spiral downward. We simply can not continue to ’stay the course.’

The news of Congress passing the Kerry legislation comes on the heels of the explosive news about Bob Woodward’s new book, ‘State of Denial’ which reveals that there has been “a vast difference between what the White House and the Pentagon knew about the situation in Iraq and what they were saying publicly.” Woodward notes in the Sunday WaPo, that “the release last week of portions of a National Intelligence Estimate concluding that the war in Iraq has become a primary recruitment vehicle for terrorists,” presents “a similar contrast” to the Bush’s forecast that ‘freedom is on the march’ in Iraq and the Middle East.

It’s time for a New Direction — Kerry’s legislation calls for an intense, Dayton Accords-like summit, that brings together Iraq and its neighbors and others with a stake in Iraq’s future to hammer out issues from oil revenues and power sharing to a regional security arrangement.

“Anyone who is in touch with reality knows we desperately need to change course in Iraq, and that requires a deadline to make Iraqis stand up for Iraq,” said Senator John Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“It also desperately requires something else this administration disdains: diplomacy. Real diplomacy — a Dayton-like summit of Iraq and the countries bordering it, the Arab League, NATO, and the Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council. Our own generals have said Iraq can not be solved militarily. Only through negotiation and diplomacy can you stem the growing civil war, and only by setting a deadline to get out can we force Iraq and its neighbors to take diplomacy seriously. Congress has now spoken unequivocally about the need for a summit and real diplomacy, long overdue. Now we must continue to press the case to set a deadline and to do it now.”


Below is the text of the amendment passed by Congress early this morning:

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4329

[kentuck]

4. Perhaps...

We'll see where it goes from here. A credible plan is one that people will institute to bring about change. At least, it is the start of a "plan".

[blm]

6. Well, they weren't gonna pass his Iraq withdrawal plan - but this PART of

the withdrawal plan DID pass, and it is exactly the start that is needed.

Not many Democrats are even talking about this HUGE victory and acknowledgement that the ONLY plan worth passing on Iraq was crafted by a DEMOCRAT.

[Heewack]

3. Good point

I have been thinking about this a lot lately and it doesn't really matter what plan the Democrats come up with until we regain the WH. We could have the best plans ever devised but unless * acts on them it will make no difference.

[driver8]

5. The plan has always been to steal as much money as possible while they

held power.

That plan seems to be working quite well.

[knowbody0]

7. there is absolutely no sane excuse for

our glorious shock and awe, for the invasion or for the occupation. Arabs are outraged at our intrusion and destruction, while the world watches incredulously at our arrogant stupidity. How could a "plan" for success emerge from this madness.

The only way out is to leave immediately and pay cash for the damage.

[wtmusic]

8. Talking to a Republican last night

I got that EXACT talking point -- "not crazy about Bush, but all Democrats are doing is bashing Bush and not OFFERING A PLAN..."

Though it has no basis whatsoever in fact, the media has been amazingly successful at impregnating this meme in the American groupthink.