Afghanistan war sparks GOP division

Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET

It may have been Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), one of the most liberal members of Congress, who started the debate in the House over the ongoing war in Afghanistan Thursday -- but it was the new GOP majority that framed the discussion.

Kucinich's resolution, which would have directed President Obama to end the war by the end of this year, failed in the House by a vote of 321 to 93. Eight Republicans joined 85 Democrats in supporting the measure, and one Republican voted "present." Last year, a similar resolution from Kucinich won just 65 votes, including five from Republicans.

The vote showed that the vast majority of House Republicans still support the war. Still, the discussion over major points of contention today -- such whether the cost of the war is worth it, or whether it's necessary for U.S. security -- took place largely between Republicans in favor of the war and the growing GOP contingent questioning operations in Afghanistan.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who led Republicans on the House floor in defending the war, said "completing our mission in Afghanistan is essential to keeping our homeland safe." She added that to leave "before we finish the job is to pave the way for the next 9/11."

Leaving Afghanistan now, she said, would provide al Qaeda with "a sanctuary from which they could mount fresh strikes at the west with virtual immunity."

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), a two-term conservative said to be considering a primary challenge to embattled GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch, directly challenged Ros-Lehtinen's arguments. (Watch Chaffetz in the video above.)

"I reject the notion that bringing our troops home at some point, which I consider to be victory, is paving a pathway to another 9/11," he said. "I think that's offensive, and I think that's inaccurate."

Chaffetz charged that President Obama, along with other leaders in Washington, has failed to fully commit to the war.

"Until this president attends more funerals than he does rounds of golf, this person will be highly offended," he said. "If we send our troops to war, we go with everything we have; we do not hold back. But at the present time, we are playing politics... We're trying to be more politically correct instead of actually protecting American lives."

Chaffetz choked up as he spoke of meeting with the families of veterans who "want to end the war in Afghanistan."

Conservatives in favor of the war alluded to military families as well. One was Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a veteran of both the Iraq war and the Afghanistan war.

"If you want to talk to a family that's been impacted by three deployments... feel free to talk to my family," he said. The burden of fighting has fallen to less than 2 percent of Americans, he said, including his own.

The fight is necessary, however, because "every American, radicalized Muslims want to murder," he said.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, a Republican from Maryland, argued that the United States must remain in Afghanistan to preserve the nation's credibility around the world. Meanwhile, Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican from Texas, questioned how many more dollars must be spent and how many more lives lost in order to "save face."

Even the Democrats who spoke out against the war framed their arguments within the Republican-driven context of spending cuts.

By ending the war, "we can trim the federal budget of more than $100 billion in out of control spending," Kucinich said. "Are we willing to spend another trillion dollars on a war for which there isn't any exit plan? Where we haven't defined our mission?"

Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) responded, "I've never seen you so conservative, Mr. Kucinich." More seriously, he said Kucinich underestimated the cost of the war by leaving out the costs associated with treating wounded veterans.

"When you guys say deficit and debt, we're going to say Afghanistan," Filner said to his Republican colleagues.

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) countered that at issue is not a question of whether the U.S. can afford the war. "It's a matter of whether we can afford not to," he said.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) added that the cost of another terrorist attack would be far greater.

"The trillion-plus dollars that 9/11 has cost us just in economic loss -- that's why they're there," he said.

The debate around the war comes as some Republican leaders, including potential 2012 presidential candidates, are questioning the resources the U.S. is dedicating to Afghanistan. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has been on Capitol Hill this week telling Congress the U.S. is making significant" but "fragile" progress there.

[Zann-Zel]

If we do end this war...and then there is another terrorist attack...next time lets go after the country that the terrorists come from! If they're all from Saudia Arabia lets go after Saudia Arabia - instead of Afghanistan!

[formrusmcsgt]

Afghanistan isn't the only source of GOP division lately. The AZ GOP-led Senate shot down their own bigot-driven proposal to end birth rights.

Their reason: AZ's still reeling economically from their SB1070 stupidity.....

And rightly so.

[euge005]

The comment from Mr. Chaffetz about golf rounds was irresponsible. Can anyone tell me when W ever went to a funeral for one of the victims of his war of aggression in Iraq or how many rounds of golf he played after starting that war? And where was this goober Chaffetz then?

[bacaangel]

"With Middle East destabilization emerging in the form of falling governments, civil wars, and protests of rage, and with world powers adding warships to the region, the dark forces are continuing their work of setting the stage for major war.

War is staged and created by those who wish to profit from it in the form of riches and power. For others, it creates misery. For humanity to attain true freedom, people must resist war, resist being manipulated into any form of support for it: physical, emotional, or mental. People can be vastly helped in this by aligning with Cosmic Law.

For example:

--the Law of Capitulation, which states that lower vibrations will yield to higher vibrations, which will thwart the strategies and tactics of war;

--the Law of Forgiveness, which, when it is persistently and consistently used, liberates the life stream entirely from the accumulation of discord that begets karma; and,

--the Law of One, which states that all is ONE and ONE is all, and that separation is the great heresy."

www.sanctusgermanus.net

(Fools rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread! - I am not saying that we should not help the people of Libya in their quest for freedeom, but we have to be careful that it does not esculate into something greater!)

[euge005]

I prefer Patrick Henry, Give me liberty or give me death.

[nearl451]

Sure there is a split in strategy among themselves......but never a split in blaming Obama for whatever path is laid.

[meboard]

Its been time to go for the past 9 years...this thing should have been a hit and run when we had the chance2001/02. We've spent TOOOOOooooo much money and have NOTHING to show for it.

[euge005]

Well it may not help us today, but there are millions of young girls there getting an education so they can make something of themselves beyond the traditional brood mares. It sets an example of the good things this country does. In the long run that can amount to a lot.