It gets "better"...not only NO TIMELINES, Bush can waive the benchmarks.

[Atman]

MSNBC is reporting that not only does the Iraq funding bill NOT contain any sort of timelines for withdrawal of the troops, even the fucking benchmarks are worthless; the bill is written so that if the Iraqis do not meet those benchmarks for progress, Bush can waive them and get the money he seeks anyway. What the bloody hell has this whole charade been about anyway? And it appears Pelosi and Co. will be cutting and running on their own, foisting this shit on America just in time to take off for the holiday. Un-fucking-believable.

We once shipped flowers to Helen Thomas...can we ship a truckload of SPINES to the democrats???

.

[babylonsister]

1. I just read an article that worries the Dems are just clearing the decks

for their upcoming recess. Why the hell are they caving, or am I missing something? Is it more like they don't give a shit about us out here, or anyone affected by this war?

[aquart]

13. I'm assuming you know what a silly remark that is.

[babylonsister]

17. Tell Robert Parry that; do you have any better explanation?

And 'assume' nothing.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=282937&mesg_id=282937

But Senate Democrats – faced with a near-solid phalanx of Republicans standing behind the President – appear eager to run up the white flag, give Bush pretty much whatever he wants, and break for the Memorial Day recess.

[Firepit 462]

19. Really?

Impeachment turned out to be a dud, oh well......

war in Iraq, Democrats give Bush green light to move forward so long as the minimum wage increase can be used as a victory for Dems, so THERE !

healthcare who?

Rove is still the Master of Ceremonies, oh well......

Plame who? oh well........

Alberto what? oh well.........

Big oil price gouge huh? oh well..........

But......vote democrat in the presidential election and THEN we can....wait for it.....wait for it..... "TAKE OUT COUNTRY BACK".

[snappyturtle]

2. I heard it too. Did I also hear a threat

that if the Iraqis don't meet their benchmarks we'll cut off re-contruction funds? Wish they'd slow down a little on reporting the important info....but then that would cut into the time for the Hollywood news.K&R

[leftchick]

3. I like pink tutus

especially for hoyer.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. I am pissed at these people

they are far from being strategic about this

Well letters being posted today.

I recommend all of you make your opiions felt, phone, preferably or letetrs to lcoal office (I wanted them to have a hard copy),

[Robbien]

5. The benchmarks are okay because the benchmarks are all about

turning the oil rights over to global oil companies.

Benchmark #1. Privatize the oil
Benchmark #2. Privatize the oil
Benchmark #3 to Benchmark #last. Privatize the oil

[mmonk]

6. We need to find an opposition party somewhere.

I know, why not let the progressive caucus call the shots? Surely, they oppose the abuse of power and the current republican agenda.

[leftchick]

8. Woolsey and the others are putting up a fuss

they should break off and start a real progressive/liberal party. Or the "centrist" dems should become repukes and give us our party back. :(

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070522/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

<snip>

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., co-founder of the liberal Out of Iraq Caucus, said she will vote against the new measure and predicted that many of colleagues will join her.

"Every time we negotiate, it (the bill) becomes weaker," said Woolsey, D-Calif. "This is a Republican bill, so it better be Republican votes that pass it."

Hoyer said the new bill, despite its lack of a timetable on troop withdrawals, is still a victory for Democrats.

"There's not a rubber stamp or blank check here. . . . And we believe the net result here will be a significant change in direction," said Hoyer.

[NightWatcher]

7. ah, spinless bastards

I hope that they got dinner before they oh so willingly bent over.

[Firepit 462]

9. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED !!!!!

Now if we can whip up another non-binding piece of trash, the campaign slogans for "change", and the best one "take our country back", can be vomited out in the presidential election.

Like I have been saying, Democrats and Republican ELECTED OFFICIALS are the same bags of shit.... with different color bows.

[NightWatcher]

10. let's not forget that they are owned by the same corporations

[Firepit 462]

14. It's like watching a boxing match,

and halfway thru the fight the illusion of an actual fight is thrown away, and the two boxers sit down in the middle of the ring and start dividing the winning purse up with the referee in front of the crowd.

[earthboundmisfit]

11. Rewarding Junior's tantrums.

Every parent knows that once you reward a tantrum, the next one the kid throws is going to be even worse! What are they thinkin'???

[Beelzebud]

Maybe they can get Joe Liebermans supporters to vote for them all in 2008.

[Trouser Trout]

12. Only silver lining here

is that now Shrub and his bunch have totally bought this war.Failure is clearly at his feet( not that he's unaccustomed to this ).

[Zodiak]

20. No...looks to me like the Dems bought it too

the money and the rubber-stamp isn't coming from Santa Claus.

[Nite Owl]

15. There have been several posts

on this and honestly I just don't know how to respond I'm so upset. Stunned. Though we should be used to this by now, the caving, the not listening, the hoping that they are the ones who know more and are doing the 'wise' thing. I've totally had it with the Dems and their excuse that they don't have the numbers to do anything is useless, it's called leadership, it's called getting out there and telling the people the truth about what is going on instead of doing things like calling the war mismanaged, it wasn't mismaneged it was a downright lie. Thousands have died, their young lives ended and for nothing. Speaking the truth would make the R's cross over or lose but they won't do it.

[Zodiak]

21. Don't worrry

One of our many DLC-apologists here will come by and tell you we have the Republicans right where we want them and we would win if you whiny DUers would just stop complaining. Or fashion some victim excuse where we don't have the votes and therefore should do nothing but let this all happen.

That is as predictable as the cowardice of "centrist" elected Dems, and it is a repeating pattern of six years.

[treestar]

16. What are they afraid of?

I'm signing on to the spine shipment.

I take it they are afraid of being accused of failing to "support the troops?" So much of the public is against the war now, you'd think even that wouldn't be a problem. It is conceivable that some of the troops might suffer if they don't give Bush the $$?

[jgraz]

18. At some point you start asking what the hell we're supporting here

We need more than the pro-choice wing of the republican party. What the fuck do these reps think we voted for in 2006?

[Generator]

22. Oh this country is toast

I just read reasons why Pelosi is against impeachment. I GET IT-but in the same breath she says her first priority is "protecting our country and our Constitution" WHAT with Gonzalez in there? With Bush in there? YOU can't do that. Her other big issue: Stop the Iraq war. Check out LBN, the pentagon is doubling combat troops by December. If you aren't achieving anything-it's time to go for broke. I don't know how we will ever forgive those that our own our side. YES, we all despise Bush/Cheney et all, but how do we forgive those that don't represent us? FIRST, it was YEARS of whining they were the minority. NOW the majority isn't big enough. OH AND people-we had a Majority on 9/11/2001. The Democrats are not doing their job. It's not just the Republicans. I can't play this game anymore.