Is Levin/Reed even good?

[jsamuel]

I hear that they are going to try to stop a filibuster on Levin/Reed. What is in Levin/Reed that would cause a filibuster by the Republicans?

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Timetables...

[jsamuel]

3. A binding withdraw date? Or timetables for benchmarks?

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Um, that it was proposed by Democrats?

You know they can't stand ANYTHING that the Dems put forward.

[babylonsister]

4. Not necessarily; Salazar has a bill he wants to introduce with Alexander

that follows the ISG findings but, per Reid, we're way beyond that after all these months have elapsed.

[endarkenment]

5. No it is crap.

Withdrawal does not have to *start* until april 2008 and even then the president can simply announce that there is progress and put of even that date. It is toothless bullshit meant to mollify us peasants. It is, in my opinion, yet another re-authorization of the criminal occupation of Iraq.

[frazzled]

6. Wrong, withdrawal must begin in 120 days and end by April 2008

To wit:

The Reed-Levin amendment to the Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization Bill requires George W. Bush to "commence the reduction of the number of United States forces in Iraq not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act" and mandates a withdrawal of most combat forces by April 30, 2008."

[endarkenment]

7. 120 days from August is March 2008.

And the prior version of the amendment allowed Bush to simply certify that there was progress and put the whole thing off.

http://theiraqinsider.blogspot.com/2007/05/analysis-of-new-levin-reid-and-feingold.html

I cannot find the details of this amendment, which is never a good sign, so you could be correct and perhaps it is not total crap.