Edwards on extra 50 Billion for Iraq: "No timeline, no funding. No excuses."

[jsamuel]

http://www.johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/20070829-iraq-funding/

...

"Now we learn that the president is so confident Congress won't stand up to him in this fall's funding decisions that he's actually going to increase his request to fund the surge by another $50 billion—on top of the original $147 billion supplemental he requested. Let there be no doubt, this money will fund a failed Bush strategy in Iraq that that has failed to reduce the average level of sectarian violence in the country.

"Enough is enough. When Congress comes back next week, they should stand firm and make their position clear: No timeline, no funding. No excuses.

"In October, Congress needs to send the president a funding bill that withdraws all combat troops within the next year and lays the groundwork for a comprehensive political solution that will stabilize the country. If the president vetoes that bill, they need to send him another one—and do this as many times as it takes for the president to finally get the message that he cannot defy the will of the American people, of Congress, and even of many members of his own military who believe it's time to end this war and bring our troops home to the heroes' welcome they deserve."

[lyonn]

1. Sounds good to me and probably millions of other Americans

If bush vetos such a plan then it is bush's fault. Isn't that how the people voted in November? We have Liberated Iraq, get our troops out.

[Beaverhausen]

2. I would like to see statements like this from all the candidates who are now in Congress

they need to tell us NOW that they won't vote for any more funding unless it is funding to get the troops home.

[aquart]

3. Talk is cheap. I want to see the ACTION on the statements.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

5. I wish he

had said this while in the Senate.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

11. Biden and Dodd were honest early last time. Clobama will have to review focus group data first

Dodd stood with Edwards, like he did on cutting of funding for the surge, and vocally called for Democrats to stand up to *. Biden came out early for voting for funding. I disagree with him but I respect his honesty. The other two will have to comb through the focus group data before reaching a decision.

[Dawgs]

16. Yeah, Obama opposing it from the beginning is much worse than how Edwards pushed for it.

You can't have it both ways DMC.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

18. Obama opposed it from 2002-2004. When he got a vote he has been identical to Clinton

As Kucinich said, you can't say you oppose the war when you repeatedly vote to finance (continue) what you allegedly oppose. It is 2007. The fact that 2002 has to be invoked to defend Obama on Iraq today says it all about the "leadership" Obama has shown on Iraq this year and ever since he acquired national power...

[Dawgs]

24. How come you never criticize Edwards on Iraq?

You do know that he helped sell the damn thing?

[valerief]

4. WHY WOULD HE EVEN CONSIDER FUND THIS WAR?????

Frig the timeline. Get out. No war funding.

Geesh!

[sampsonblk]

6. Amen. Saying it out loud makes a big difference

Some of the major candidates were silent on this issue a few months back when we desperately needed them to weigh in. I don't know if they could have given the party 'leaders' some spine, but it sure could have helped.

I applaud Edwards for getting on board early and showing some leadership on this issue. And I agree with him 100%: No timeline, no funding. Period.

[nevergiveup]

7. I suppose it isn't fair to say this

but we probably wouldn't be hearing this from Edwards if he was still a senator from North Carolina.

[phatkatt]

8. Where have I heard that before?

Oh, yeah, Harry Reid just before giving * everything he wanted.

[wordpix]

9. So far, Edwards and Kucinich are looking like the LEADERS, & I don't mean in the polls

I mean in the way they sound and act.

Edwards-Kooch would be a good ticket.

[Dawgs]

14. No thanks. I'll take the leaders that opposed the war from the beginning.

Not the one that help sell it to America.

Obama-Kucinish YES, Edwards-Hillary NO FUCKING WAY.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

21. If BO is a "leader" why is he silent on this? If he opposes it why doesn't he do what DK is doing?

If he is so anti-war why will he keep an unspecified number of troops in Iraq for an unspecified length of time? Richardson has asked for Clobama to answer this. Is it 25,000? 50,000? 75,000 troops? So far they have not answered...

[Dawgs]

23. I agree. I wish he wasn't silent.

He wants to keep some troops in Iraq because it's the smart thing to do. Taking out all of our troops at one time sounds great, but it's not logical.

Why are blaming those that are trying to fix Iraq, and not those that help start it?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

25. How much is "some"? Richardson has asked this and Obama has not answered

Is it 25,000? 50,000? 75,000?

It is logical. Edwards and Richardson, a former UN ambassador, are advocating that. They will keep troops in Kuwait in case of an emergency. It is dumb to keep them in Iraq if you accept the notion that our presence there is making things worse.

It is 2007. I know Obama fans are in denial about this but the vast majority of voters care about what you will do as president and what your positions are now. You can't coast off being correct 5 years ago, or even 2 years ago as Dean learned.

[Dawgs]

32. Who the fuck knows how many troops we should leave in Iraq.

Do you think it will be easy cleaning up the big mess that Edwards and Hillary left for the next President? Do you really expect the next President to say how many troops they would leave, when the inauguration isn't for another 17 months? How the hell will they know what Iraq will be like a year and a half from now?

[superkia]

33. It should read Kucinich-Obama or Kooch-Edwards.

I want a president that will tell us what hes for and not worry about what the other politicians think. Kucinich has been doing great at running at the mouth and for good causes, so I would put him first.

[pingzing58]

10. The 50 billion is to fund the attack on Iran. We want to bring the troops home from Iraq but

we still have the war in Afghanistan. The Dem candidates should really be speaking of strengthening our original mission in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban (since the mission failed and they are back in full force) and find Bin Laden who is still the greatest threat to us by inspiring al-qaeda and the jihad against the U.S. and western culture. The Dem's have ignored pointing out what a failure Bush's war in Afghanistan has been because of our war in Iraq. Just read Bush's state of the union address from 2002:

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/01/29/bush.speech.txt/

So, we'll bring our troops home from Iraq - but we still have Afghanistan - the war that we forgot.

[Dawgs]

12. Easy for him to say now.

Why did he support in the beginning; when he was actually in office?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

13. Your excuse for Obama being wrong in 2007 and JE being correct is 2002?

That says it all about how bankrupt Obama is on Iraq ever since he acquired the national power he lusted after for years (with a huge assist from the IWR, which is convenient when you are an unknown person in a 7 candidate field for senate in a blue state and are the only one who spoke against the war in 2002 and milk that fact)...

[Dawgs]

17. I never said Obama was wrong.

Obama has always been right on this. I do wish that he would come out and say it like Edwards has, but that doesn't mean he was wrong.

[LaPera]

15. Right, point the finger at someone who is saying the right thing....Where does your candidate stand

on stopping funding?

[Dawgs]

20. Well, he actually voted against it the last time they had a vote.

I do agree that he did it in a way I wouldn't want, but at least he did it. His judgement was correct then; just like it was before the war.

[GreenTea]

19. What kind of silly grade school shit is that statement?

[Dawgs]

22. You don't agree that it's easy for him to say this now,

when most of the country is against the war?

I'd rather have a leader that will fight against wars when they are popular.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

26. What % of the country favors defunding the war? Why do you think Clobama do not support this?

Do you think Clobama are so hawkish they genuinely think the war should be financed (and hence continued) or are they reading their polls correctly?

[Dawgs]

30. "Why do you think Clobama do not support this?"

They don't support funding the war. They should say it.

You're wrong - AGAIN!!!

[GreenTea]

27. Just as easy as it is for Obama to say he was against the war when he couldn't vote on it!!!

Again, it's appropriate to say....What a bullshit cover and excuse for these corporate fucks...Such a Karl Rove tactic point the finger away from ones own candidate and point it at others for saying the correct thing.

So that makes it OK for Obama and Clinton not to stand up and say stop the funding immediately for this senseless occupation for profit while kids continue to die?

[Dawgs]

29. Maybe you have a hard time reading.

1) I've never said it was okay for Obama and Clinton not to stand up and say stop the funding. I wish they would.

2) You're wrong about Obama saying he was against the war. It was very hard to say that when most of the country was for the war. He was running for office you know?

3) I agree with those that funded the war when it meant getting equipment and support to our troops. I don't agree with Kucinich's position on never funding the war. Other than not speaking out enough, I think Obama has always been right on the war.

4) You do know that Edwards pushed and voted for the war?

[AtomicKitten]

28. Edwards led the parade into Iraq --

I guess it's only fitting he try to stop it now.

[Dawgs]

31. Thank you. I wish I could have said it like you did.

[huskerlaw]

34. Hillary? Barack? What say thee?

*whistles and twiddles thumbs*

Yeah, yeah, I know they both voted the right way last time. Eventually. And silently. And not until their vote no longer mattered.

I'd love to see one of them step up on this, but oddly, I'm not holding my breath.