Sen. Hagel has lost all support from me after his despicable display. I will not lift a damn finger to support him in any endeavor he chooses to push forth from this moment on:
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday passed a nonbinding resolution that concludes "it is not in the national interest of the United States" to deepen U.S. military involvement in Iraq.
The measure, passed on a 12-9 vote, goes to the Senate floor for a vote before the full chamber, which is expected sometime next week.
The resolution is the first attempt by the new Democratic-controlled Congress to check President Bush’s authority to send more troops to Iraq. The measure was opposed by all the panel’s Republicans except co-sponsor Sen. Chuck Hagel.
"We better be damn sure we know what we’re doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder," said Hagel, of Nebraska, before the vote.
Retardation and idiocy is to be expected from the Democrats but these Republicans see nothing but election votes when they pass these kind of things. Damn the troops, damn the war. Doesn’t matter if it only emboldens the enemy as General Petraeus said:
"No matter how well-intentioned, a resolution being opposed to this new strategy is a vote of no confidence in you. No matter how well-intentioned, the enemy will see it as a weakened resolve."
Did they listen? Hell no. Hagel gets his bill while Warner and Collins get theirs:
A separate nonbinding resolution did not get a vote in the panel, but clearly drove conversation.
That resolution, co-sponsored by Coleman and Sens. John Warner, R-Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., is seen as a softer criticism of the president. It states "the Senate disagrees with the plan to augment our forces by 21,500, and urges the president instead to consider all options and alternatives for achieving the strategic goals set forth below with reduced force levels than proposed."
And don’t forget these yahoo’s:
But the list of Republicans supporting some sort of measure disagreeing with the president’s war policy continues to grow and now includes Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon, George Voinovich of Ohio and Sam Brownback of Kansas.
A few get it tho:
"I oppose this nonbinding resolution on the basis that it’s the wrong tool" for Congress to use to get the president to change his policy, said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., ranking member on the panel. Lugar admitted he is "not confident that President Bush’s plan will succeed."
"It is unclear to me how passing a nonbinding resolution that the president has already said he will ignore will contribute to any improvement or modification of our Iraq policy," Lugar continued. "The president is deeply invested in this plan, and the deployments … have already begun."
Republican Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he didn’t support the resolution because he didn’t believe it would affect administration policy, and he believed it wouldn’t give troops the right message.
"So, in essence, what I’ll be doing the next time if I see them, if I vote for this resolution, is to say: I’m opposed to you being there, but thank you for what you’re doing," Corker said.
So lets run down the Republicans who want to send the message to the enemy that we give up:
Washington, D.C. Office
248 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4224
Fax: (202) 224-5213
Senator Warner
Washington Office
225 Russell Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Telephone:
(202) 224-2023
(202) 224-6295 FAX
DC Office:
461 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202) 224-2523
Fax: (202) 224-2693
Washington, DC Office
404 Russell Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202.224.3753
Fax: 202.228.3997
Washington, D.C.
303 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6521
Fax: (202) 228-1265
All support sending a message to our troops that they don’t want to win. They would rather take half measures and run. The kicker is this doesn’t come from Democrats but from Republicans! Those listed above need to be bombarded with email, phone calls, and the like. Hugh Hewitt:
please call Senator McConnell’s office and urge a filibuster of Senator Biden’s and Senator Warner’s resolutions.
Senator McConnell’s office number is (202) 224-2541. The capitol switchboard is 202-225-3121. Senator McConnell’s e-mail is here.
And finally, please take this pledge:
If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.
Sign it here.
All we can hope is that 39 Republicans and Sen. Lieberman stand for what is right and good. Stand to support this President during a time of war and to deny any morale booster to the enemy.
UPDATE
Skye from Midnight Blue wrote the perfect letter to her Senators. One in which we should all emulate:
Dear Senators,
I am writing this letter to express my deep concern over the forthcoming non-binding resolution proposed by Democrat Senators in opposition to President Bush’s strategy to protect the fledgling Iraqi government and to secure a victory against Islamofascists bent on eviscerating Iraq and Western society.
In the past, the House and Senate expressed their intent for victory in Iraq by overwhelmingly voting in favor of non-binding resolutions supporting victory in Iraq and the war on terror. This year, the new Senate is poised at reversing this course by acquiescing to the demands of terrorists and approving a resolution dictating the terms of our surrender.
Eight Arab nations have publicly declared their support of President Bush’s strategy. What message are we signaling to the world with this resolution; that more Arab citizens support America’s desire for victory in Iraq than US Senators? A vote in support of this resolution sends a clear message to the Iraqis that the US does not support their version of a ‘noble experiment in democracy’. Has the new Senate deemed itself arbiter over which struggling third world nations are capable of democracy and which are not?
A brief review of the resolution reveals the narrow focus on one aspect of the President’s plan, ignoring the other fundamental elements crucial to its success. By rejecting one component, you undercut the success of the other components of this plan.
I need not remind you that rooting out terrorists wherever they may hide in this world is not just work…it is THE work of this government. It is the responsibility of our elected representatives to work with and not merely in opposition of the Executive branch. Thus far, the only thing resembling a “plan” from the Legislative branch is nothing short of surrender. This is absolutely unacceptable – the American people expect better from our elected representatives. I urge you to support a democratic Iraq and the strong desire of the American people for victory by voting against this non-binding resolution.
Sincerely,
Skye
Philadelphia, Pa
Perfect!
See author page