House Dems upset over split on war

[babylonsister]

House Dems upset over split on war
By Mike Soraghan
August 02, 2007

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reversed herself on Iraq strategy Wednesday, revealing a fight within the Democratic Caucus over how much Democrats should compromise to gain agreement with Republicans on the unpopular war.

Progressive Caucus leaders were fuming after they walked into a meeting with Pelosi to find out that she had decided to allow a vote Thursday on an Iraq bill they consider too mild.

Sponsored by Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and John Tanner (D-Tenn.), the bill would order President Bush to deliver within two months a plan on how to redeploy troops. It will be on the suspension calendar, meaning there will be no amendments, but it needs a two-thirds majority to pass.

That bill got 24 Republican votes in the Armed Services Committee last week, but it may lose votes from liberal Democrats who have pledged not to support Iraq redeployment measures that don’t include a “date certain.”

“It takes us backwards,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), an Out of Iraq caucus leader. “If Democrats want to give Republicans votes to go home with when they’ve done nothing to redeploy our troops, that’s bad.”

Progressive leaders feel that such measures give cover to Republicans to go home for the August break and tell constituents they have voted for redeployment, without voting on strict measures that would order Bush to bring the troops home.

more...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-dems-upset-over-split-on-war-2007-08-02.html

[Robbien]

1. Give Bush more spying powers and give GOPers political cover

while hanging the Progressive caucus out to dry.

That is what the Democratic party does with its majority status.

[AndyA]

2. I hope Pelosi gets an ear full, and feels the full impact of the backlash against her.

She needs something to wake her sorry @ss up.

No impeachment.

Fund the war in Iraq with no constraints.

Ask for meaningless reports from the President.

Spend time passing "non-binding" resolutions.

Pass legislation only to have chimpy veto it.

Gee, we could almost still have Republicans in charge of Congress for all the difference it's made... :sarcasm:

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. Any Dem who gives into ANYTHING from these obvious criminals is complicit in the crimes!

What the hell is wrong with her? Do these people play anything but politics? Do any of them understand that this isn't a game - it is about representing us? The state of affairs with all politicians has sunk to the lowest level of disgust. We are talking a president with a toilet approval rating, a public that is ready to back anyone willing to do the right thing and show some balls....

[Horse with no Name]

4. Didn't she have dinner with Bush a couple of days ago?

Seems he doesn't even have to take his clothes off for Nancy to fellate him.

[EFerrari]

12. Maybe she was asking for tips on how to stage townhalls

because if she has a real one, it will be ugly.

[OzarkDem]

5. More evidence in favor of pressure on Dems

It won't help to put pressure on the GOP when our Dem leaders are willing to compromise with them on lame legislation. Right now, Pelosi and non-Progressive Dems in Congress are really supporting a GOP agenda.

We have to keep up pressure on our own party leaders.

[mmonk]

6. It's actually not a bad strategy.

Our achilles heel is war supporters in the party and always has been. If we want pressure on them, it's best not to give them the cover.

[OzarkDem]

7. But it gives GOP members political cover

by making it appear they are doing something about Iraq, when the opposite is true.

Contrary to what pro-war Dems in Congress say, we need to put political pressure on GOP members to get them to support a substantive bill for an Iraq exit timeline. Pelosi keeps telling us we need to pressure the GOP, but this quote from the linked article shows thats not what Dem leaders have in mind at all:

“It would be amusing if it wasn’t such a dumb thought,” Abercrombie said. “In a time of war, we should not be positioning ourselves for political advantage.”

The war is very unpopular with the public, and the GOP is supposed to be feeling the full pressure from the public to take action. So why are our Dem leaders doing the opposite?

[mmonk]

8. It's time to put a date certain or quit playing the game

and quit funding this crap. So I guess the pressure needs to be on them.

[mmonk]

9. So when does everybody come home on break?

[WCGreen]

10. No shit it gives cover to the enemy...

Can you see Newt being so magnanimous...

[mmonk]

11. Never.