18 July 2007
On Friday, GOP Sens. John Warner and Richard Lugar proposed that the White House develop a plan to redeploy US forces out of a combat role in Iraq by October. It does not set a timetable for implementation. As far as I am concerned, these Sens. are just giving lip service, telling their constituents what they want to hear with no real guts on their part. This was proven when, after an all night session on the “hill”, congress did not step up and do what is best for the troops and vote for a time for the troops to start leaving Iraq or be redeployed elsewhere. With the attitude in the county against the Iraq war growing daily, it’s going to be a tough battle for Republicans come ’08 vote time. This week, the focus is on the Senate, where a $648.8 billion defense bill is the vehicle for war-related amendments.
Iran is the next looming problem. Dick Cheney favors military threats, Condoleezza Rice prefers diplomacy. Of course, Bush has sided with Cheney. Naturally, Bush is backing Cheney, going against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, both of whom prefer diplomacy over military action.
New US intelligence estimates, released on Tuesday states Al-Qaeda has regrouped in tribal areas of Pakistan and could use capabilities developed in Iraq to mount fresh attacks on US soil. These are still fear tactics being used by the administration to drum up support for the “surge”. Although the report said the US had become harder for terrorists to strike since the September 2001 attacks. Al-Qaeda could continue to attempt mass-casualty assaults within the US. The report came from growing concern about resurgence in Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network, particularly along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Congress, pretty much, holds the course of what we do in Iraq, in their hands. Shame on you congress!!!
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