Our grandkids at war in Iraq

Seven Republican senators and one independent voted with all 48 Democrats this morning to end debate and vote on an amendment to the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill. Jim Webb's amendment would have protected overtaxed American troops by mandating specific minimum intervals between deployments. George W. Bush said Tuesday he'd veto a bill with any such provision, or any timetable to start getting troops out of Iraq.

The Republican defections are interesting news in light of Dan Popkey's column in today's Idaho Statesman, which reports that none of Idaho's four members of Congress plan to question the administration any time soon. One-half of the Idaho delegation - Mike Crapo and Mike Simpson - at least seem like they're getting fed up and might want to take action later this year. Like Bush and the other Republican dead-enders, they're waiting for Gen. David Petraeus' September report on whether Bush's escalation is working.

But senior senator Larry Craig and junior congressman Bill Sali appear ready to fight in Iraq, well, forever. According to Popkey, Sali said Americans "need to accept that the conflict will be 'our children's children's war - that's probably what we're saddled up to right now.'" Craig blames the media for the lack of success in Iraq, adding: "I think Americans sometimes do forget that when you engage terrorists around the world - and this really is an extension of the War on Terror - that this is going to be a long-term approach to a very long-term problem."

That's BS. Yes, we will need to fight terrorism into the foreseeable future, but if Sali and Craig believe that the Iraq War is helping us make progress on that war, rather than inflaming it ... if they believe that preemptive wars based on lies are sound foreign policy ... and if they believe that the media is fueling civil war in Iraq, they are flat out wrong. The decision to invade Iraq was no "extension" of the war on terror. It was a distraction from the real war we were fighting against Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, where Bush chose to drop the ball in March 2003, and it continues not only to be a distraction from the real war on terror but from all manner of problems we face here at home. Maybe George W. Bush, Larry Craig, and Bill Sali are OK with the idea of our grandchildren fighting in Iraq, but I'll be damned if that's the future I see for my progeny, or yours.

Popkey cites Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar's June 25 statement on Iraq as a "sober and constructive case" for leaving Iraq. Unfortunately, Lugar was not one of the senators (Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Chuck Hagel, Gordon Smith, Olympia Snowe, John Sununu, and John Warner)  who voted with the Democrats today, nor were Sens. George Voinovich and Pete Domenici. But all three have joined with the seven above in at least questioning current policy in Iraq. That's more than we can say for the rubber stampers from Idaho.

Comments

[Sisyphus]

Amen sister. The war they are talking about is a war of their making and which does not serve our national security. Their's is a religious war seeking to paint all Islam as the enemy. A wholly discretionary war when all war should be of a last resort. Their vision of the future is quite bleak indeed. Their management of this war has clearly established that they are incapable and undeserving of continued leadership.

And defeating the Webb amendment shows that they don't support the troops, their morale, or their families. The fallacy of their arguments have come home to roost. Lets see where they are next year at this time when political realities of the next election smack them upside the head. The wind created by the multitude of flip flops should keep us cool anyway. But in the meantime our forces are dying in a self defeating cause. It ain't right.

[BoiseNick]

so sadly true Sisyphus .

did you see the IdiotDecider say at his 4th of july speech some crap like : "...911/Iraq , 911/Iraq ... they wanna force us to follow THEIR Religion and stop us from praying as WE want...well,,,they're NOT gonna stop US...911/Iraq..." WOW, the fool just closed the circle on his early W-ar comment: "...this is a Crusade..." well, that makes it Official:

It's. A. Holy. Crusade. Folks.

WHOOPIE ... start kicking your kids and firing AK-47s over their heads Today to toughen them up for the HolyBush!t fight tomorrow !

me thinks the anti-Constitutional Religionists who believe that bush is "...sent by godtt..." are Hoping to jump-start Armageddon so's they can go see their Lord early. the ONLY problem? if Jesus EVER set eyes on them they'd burn in Hell faster than a windy brushfire for their evil, twisted actions,,,

[Cameron]

Wow. For a second there I thought I was reading the BlameBush! blog. Click my name...

[Julie in Boise]

Cameron,

I am not sure if you are referring to my post or the comment preceding yours. In any case, I don't blame Bush for everything.

There's really no need. History will judge him, plus there's *plenty* of blame to go around.

Saludos,

the proprietress

[Cameron]

It was the comment preceding mine. It was so over the top it just had to be satire.

[George]

So this is Bill Sali’s vision of America. A country perpetually at war for generations to come. A war that’s costing us hundreds of lives and over $100 billion per year. $100 billion. For camparison, using the President’s FY 2008 budget proposal, that’s:

Five times the budget for the Department of Agriculture

Fifteen times the budget for the Department of Commerce

Nearly four times the budget for the Department of Education

About eight times the budget for the Department of Energy

About six times the budget for Homeland Security

About twenty times the budget for the Department of the Interior

Ten times the budget for the Department of Justice

And nearly 23 times what it costs for the entire Legislative branch of the US Government.

Bill Sali wants this to happen every year, ad infinitum. Or until America is bankrupt, whichever happens first. This is the future Bill Sali wants for his children’s children. Well, it isn’t one I want for mine.

If we learned nothing else from Vietnam, we learned that wars in this era of mankind are not won by guns, bombs and bullets. World War II, the war of fronts and final victories, is in our history. If we want a peaceful future, we'll have to achieve it by means other than conquest.