Tony Snow regarding Iraqi gov't taking 2 month vacation: "This is a democracy."

[sabra]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070503-5.html

<snip>

Q Tony, why aren't you commenting about the possibility that the Iraqi parliament is going to take two months off this summer with key legislation pending? I mean, even if they are considering this, isn't that an affront to this administration?

...

Q Doesn't it speak to political will? At a time when people are questioning, can the Iraqi government actually meet political benchmarks, doesn't that, though, speak to the will of the Iraqi government? Does it have the political will to move --

MR. SNOW: I'm telling you, let's just wait and see what happens over the next couple of months. We have had many debates like this in this country. You may recall when people have gone on vacations before elections, when they haven't passed budgets, when things have been pushed off until the very end of the year. I don't want to be doing equations here, but the fact is the legislative process is something that you have to contend with. This is a democracy.

[spanone]

1. Our soldiers should take a two month R&R at the same time.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Then let's put the whole damn 'Iraq war' on hold for the same amount of time. All our GIs take R&R.

We stop having checkpoints and building walls around people. We'll call for a 'cease fire' for the time the Iraqi parliament is away. And there will be no 'recess appointments' of any kind.

[hatrack]

3. Apparently freedom is untidy AND lazy

:eyes:

[Mz Pip]

4. Maybe we should take

a 2 month vacation, too!

It's just pathetic that our troops have their tours extended to 15 months but the damn government we are propping up needs 2 months off. :mad:

Mz Pip
:dem:

[rodeodance]

5. PERFECT-------WH will use to argue for 'more time"

[Zensea]

6. Frankly, it's none of our business

First of all, who are we to say what another government decides about their vacations?
Can't have it both ways people. If we aren't supposed to be mucking around in Iraq, then we aren't supposed to be mucking around in Iraq.

Second, has anyone considered that it might be just a little hot in the desert in the summer and that there may well be actual cultural and environmental reasons for vacationing in July and August?

[Beaverhausen]

8. Fuck that. Our soldiers are dying trying to help those people. If they get a vacation so should they

did you forget your sarcasm smilie?

[Zensea]

11. No, I did not forget my sarcasm smilie.

Our soldiers shouldn't even be there for starters.

And like I wrote before, we do not have the right to dictate to the Iraqis on anything.
They don't want us there anyway and it's their own damn business if they want to go on vacation. Their ability to go on vacation certainly shouldn't be dependent on whether the United States gets its act together or not.

Basically the hoo-hah about this has the premise that since the United States is doing something stupid, the Iraqis have to pay the consequences even regarding something as piddling as vacation.

[Beaverhausen]

25. If the Iraqi govt. doesn't work night and day to get their act together, fuck them

Our soldiers didn't choose to be over there, Bush sent them. To keep them there with the excuse of "helping the Iraqi government get on it's feet" should include the caveat that we don't stay if they don't do everything they can to make it work. Our soldiers dont' get any breaks, neither should they.

[OwnedByFerrets]

9. Personally, I think is IS our business.........

if Americans are being KILLED while they are vacationing.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. Especially when one of the reasons put forth for the surge was to

get security under control so the Iraqi Parliament would have a little "breathing room" so they could get some things accomplished.

[Zensea]

13. The Americans being killed is our business, Iraqi's vacation is not

It's necessary to keep the issues straight and separate.
Conflating them creates more confusion.

[Horse with no Name]

10. It's NONE of our business?????

Uhh..yeah it really is.
It is OUR blood and treasure being spent.
It is OUR soldiers whose tours are being extended 3 months at a time...time away from their families, vacations THEY might want to take while they languish in the hot desert sun fighting the war.
Bring the troops home. Now. I'd rather see them get 2 months off to spend with their families. The problem is....they don't even get that.

[Zensea]

16. damn straight -

Their vacation is none of our business.
American soldiers getting killed is our business -- that's a different issue.

The two things are separate.
I'll keep repeating that in every response if necessary, even though I think I pretty much said it in my original post.

[Horse with no Name]

20. I "understand" what you are saying

We shouldn't be there. If Iraq wants to shut down their government for two months, we shouldn't have a say if this is "really" their country.
I get it.
HOWEVER, the soldiers are the pawns in this. They are the ones who suffer.
Not Tony Snow. Not Dick Cheney. Not GWB. Our soldiers--who are our friends--neighbors--family members.
Individuals who have NO input in this whatsoever.

It seems to me like one of those--"Please come visit me while I am on vacation and clean my house while you are there" type situations.
If they are going on vacation...our troops need to come home.
I work in a hospital and I can't take vacations during busy times of the year.
They shouldn't be allowed to either.

[snappyturtle]

19. Excuse me?

The fact is we ARE in Iraq and we'll be spending billions while they're on vacation in other countries....I have a nephew who is there for three more months than he was originally told and they're going on vacation!!!! HOT---------have you ever looked at all the gear our soldiers lug around.....they've got to be miserable and would probably love to wear just a business suit.

And, finally,now shrub's going to want two months vacation!

[sinkingfeeling]

23. I'll bet it doesn't happen, because the US will pressure our little puppet government in

Iraq. Do you really believe that the Iraqi parliament controls anything in Iraq?

[Zensea]

24. Bingo!!

& that's why Snow's remark is ridiculous, in my opinion.

[madeline_con]

27. You call those puppets "another government"? n/t

[WCGreen]

Compared to the amount of vacation time W has rolled up....

It's nothing...

[Fresh_Start]

7. Iraqi police and military should take the same 2 months off

as there government. It should be a national holiday while the dogs are left to work.

[InternalDialogue]

14. Yes, Tony, it is a "democracy"; but 2 months is a third of a Friedman unit

and we've been tossing those around like chump change for four years.

I say if the Iraqi government goes on vacation for 2 months, our troops should withdraw for the same amount of time. No sense putting any Americans at risk during the "downtime."

[Loge23]

15. "This is a democracy"

Great! Can we go home now?

[earthboundmisfit]

17. What an answer.

Almost - not quite, but almost - Rumsfeldesque, I'd say...

[Javaman]

18. Ahhhhh, I can't take it anymore!!!

:banghead:

[youngdem]

21. This is BUSH'S idea of Democracy...A TWO MONTH FUCKING VACATION !!

We should pound them with this....Show that Bush doesn't care that the 'stability' that the surge is supposedly providing is going to be securing a Baghdad without an active parliament at the height of the surge, even though a main reason for the surge was to provide security for the Parliament :crazy:

And, show that the White House thinks that the government works best when the leaders go on extended, multi-month vacations. Like Bush has done every summer since, uh....well, since right before 9/11. I mean, how can you argue with results?

I want to say unbelievable, but in fact it is the opposite. I expect nothing less than the most offensive, mismanaged, expensive solution to any situation by this bunch of fools.

Jan 2009 cannot come soon enough.

[MidwestTransplant]

22. Maybe they will go to TX and visit Bush during his couple of months off.

[cui bono]

26. Uh, Snowjob, can you not grasp the disgusting element of this scenario?

That our troops are being sent back without proper training and given extended tours, multiple tours, to "help" them and they go on vacation???

So this admin is asking our kids to go die for that???

WTF???