red states rule
07-26-2007, 05:22 AM
Dems are obsessed with surrender in Iraq. Now they have another surrender bill, this time offered up by Motor Mouth Murtha
House Democrats push new withdrawal bill
By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 25, 7:59 PM ET
WASHINGTON - House Democrats have drafted new Iraq legislation they hope will appeal to Republicans fed up with the war: Start withdrawing troops in two months but leave it up to President Bush to decide when to complete the pullout.
The vote will come next week, as members take up a $460 billion bill covering military spending for 2008. Another vote could come again in September, after Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus delivers a long-anticipated assessment on the war and Congress considers a $142 billion measure needed to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This is big time," Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said of the upcoming fall debate. "When you get to September, this is history. This is when we're going to have a real confrontation with the president trying to work things out."
The House has passed similar anti-war measures in the past, but has been unable to push the legislation through the Senate, where Democrats hold a slimmer majority and Republicans have routinely blocked such bills from advancing.
Most recently, the House approved legislation that would have required troop withdrawals to begin this November and finish by April 1.
Under his latest plan, Murtha said he envisions troop withdrawals to start in November and take about a year to complete. A draft of his proposal did not include a firm end date.
In addition to the anti-war measure, Murtha said he also wants to propose next week amendments that would require troops to meet certain standards before being deployed and cut in half the $225 million budget for the Guantanamo Bay military prison.
The prospects of Murtha's troop withdrawal measure passing next week were unclear, as Republicans have said they are willing to hold off until September and Democrats questioned whether it goes far enough.
"If they are not listening to reports from our generals today, how does anyone believe they will make an honest and objective decision in September?" asked Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, his party's leader. "Our national security is not a political football, and Republicans aren't going to treat it as such."
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., a leading anti-war advocate, said she wants to keep the April deadline.
"The House voted two weeks ago on a withdrawal measure with a clear timeline, and I don't know why we would back away from that," said Lee.
for the complete article
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq
House Democrats push new withdrawal bill
By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 25, 7:59 PM ET
WASHINGTON - House Democrats have drafted new Iraq legislation they hope will appeal to Republicans fed up with the war: Start withdrawing troops in two months but leave it up to President Bush to decide when to complete the pullout.
The vote will come next week, as members take up a $460 billion bill covering military spending for 2008. Another vote could come again in September, after Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus delivers a long-anticipated assessment on the war and Congress considers a $142 billion measure needed to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This is big time," Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said of the upcoming fall debate. "When you get to September, this is history. This is when we're going to have a real confrontation with the president trying to work things out."
The House has passed similar anti-war measures in the past, but has been unable to push the legislation through the Senate, where Democrats hold a slimmer majority and Republicans have routinely blocked such bills from advancing.
Most recently, the House approved legislation that would have required troop withdrawals to begin this November and finish by April 1.
Under his latest plan, Murtha said he envisions troop withdrawals to start in November and take about a year to complete. A draft of his proposal did not include a firm end date.
In addition to the anti-war measure, Murtha said he also wants to propose next week amendments that would require troops to meet certain standards before being deployed and cut in half the $225 million budget for the Guantanamo Bay military prison.
The prospects of Murtha's troop withdrawal measure passing next week were unclear, as Republicans have said they are willing to hold off until September and Democrats questioned whether it goes far enough.
"If they are not listening to reports from our generals today, how does anyone believe they will make an honest and objective decision in September?" asked Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, his party's leader. "Our national security is not a political football, and Republicans aren't going to treat it as such."
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., a leading anti-war advocate, said she wants to keep the April deadline.
"The House voted two weeks ago on a withdrawal measure with a clear timeline, and I don't know why we would back away from that," said Lee.
for the complete article
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq