Kennedy: No Funds For More Troops

Democrat Proposes Bill To Deny Bush Money For Sending Additional Troops To Iraq

(CBS/AP)  As President Bush prepares to unveil a new strategy for the war in Iraq, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said Tuesday that he was introducing a bill to block Mr. Bush from sending additional troops to Iraq without the consent of Congress.

Kennedy's legislation comes just one day before the president reveals what he's calling a new way forward in Iraq — a plan that is expected to include the deployment of 20,000 additional troops.

Kennedy, a long-time critic of the president and the war, said sending more troops will not solve the mounting sectarian violence in Iraq.

"The legislation that we will introduce today is brief but essential," Kennedy said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington. "It requires the president to obtain approval from Congress before he sends even more American soldiers to Iraq. And it prohibits the president from spending taxpayer dollars on such an escalation unless Congress approves it."

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Read Sen. Kennedy's bill to prohibit an escalation of U.S. troop levels in Iraq.

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The Constitution gives broad war-making powers to the president, with Congress controlling the spending budget. Kennedy said if the president wants to send additional U.S. troops, then he's going to have to discuss it with the Democratic-controlled Congress.

"The mission of our armed forces today in Iraq bears no resemblance whatever to the mission authorized by Congress," Kennedy said. "President Bush should not be permitted to escalate the war further and send an even larger number of our troops into harm's way, without a clear and specific new authorization from Congress."

Kennedy called any "surge" of U.S. troops to Iraq an "immense new mistake."

"An escalation, whether it is called a surge or any other name, is still an escalation, and I believe it would be an immense new mistake. It would compound the original misguided decision to invade Iraq," he said.

Like the war in Vietnam, Kennedy said the war in Iraq cannot be won militarily.

"Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam. As with Vietnam, the only rational solution to the crisis is political, not military. Injecting more troops into a civil war is not the answer," Kennedy said.

As the president's speech drew near, White House press secretary Tony Snow insisted that the president was still listening to ideas from lawmakers.

"I'm not saying that the president's going to go back in and shred it and start over," Snow said. "What I'm saying is the president still continues to have an open mind, because this is a way forward. This is not, 'Wave a wand and it's going to happen.'"

Snow conceded that Mr. Bush has a challenge in persuading a war-weary public to send additional troops to Iraq.

"The president will not shape policy according to public opinion, but he does understand that it's important to bring the public back to this war, and restore public confidence and support for the mission," Snow said.

Democrats seem divided on whether to block funds for troop increases, but many were not ruling it out. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats would "look at everything" in their power to curb the war, short of cutting money for troops already in the field.

He said he would only consider an increase in U.S. forces in Iraq if Mr. Bush agreed to start withdrawing troops within six months.

If brought to the floor by Democratic leaders, Kennedy's proposal would force Republicans to put themselves on record regarding the war for the first time since the Nov. 7 elections, when the GOP lost control of Congress to the Democrats in large part because of the war. Most Republicans say they back the president, or are at least willing to hear him out, but a few GOP moderates say there is no indication U.S. troops would make a difference.

According to senators who attended a meeting Monday with the president, a promise to send more troops to Iraq would be conditioned on criteria met by the Iraqi government, such as reaching political deals on sharing the nation's oil resources and dispatching more of its own troops to Baghdad.

Mr. Bush told the senators that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki suggested the plan when the two met in late November in Amman, Jordan. The senators said the president expressed confidence that the Iraqi government could meet certain milestones in exchange for additional U.S. support.

But several of the senators remained skeptical.

"We've had these benchmarks before and to no avail," Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said after meeting with Bush. "Why should we increase our exposure to risk?"

But whether Snowe and other GOP Senate skeptics of Mr. Bush's plan, including Gordon Smith of Oregon and Susan Collins of Maine, will agree to Kennedy's plan is doubtful.

"It would be a dishonorable thing for the Congress to budget away the bullets at a time when their commander in chief had ordered them to hold their place in the battlefront," said Smith.

[one_american]

Kennedy bloviates to the National Press Club in Washington. It looks like the Press has its marching orders, now.

Ted Kennedy is wobbling his rubber sabre.

Americans have not yet heard any of the proposals that President Bush will be outlining in his speech tomorrow night, so Ted Kennedy's remarks are PREMATURE and UNINFORMED, at best.

If the Democrats deny funding for a troop increase, then they will be preventing any of the Baker Commission findings from being implemented, and denying the possibility for increased security while Shiite and Sunni factions negotiate for peace, and any lack of success in Iraq WILL BE ENTIRELY THE DEMOCRAT'S FAULT.

Ted Kennedy is a career moron.

[agnim]

That's the only way to stop this mad man and his asinine adventurism, which is gruesomely gobbling up American lives and limbs: BLUNT THE BUSHWHACKING OF THE NATIONAL TREASURY!


The hypocrites are always accusing others of 'taxing and spending'; yet they are the evil ones who are always running up the biggest budget deficits!

First it was the Reagan Deficits! GOP
Then the Clinton Surplus! DEM
Now the Bushwhacking Deficits again! GOP

When will Americans get educated so that they can see how they are being misled? Tsk-tsk

[agnim]

"and any lack of success in Iraq WILL BE ENTIRELY THE DEMOCRAT'S FAULT.

Ted Kennedy is a career moron.

Posted by One_American at 03:49 PM : Jan 09, 2007"

LMAO!

The whole world already knows whose fault is the Iraq hell hole.
And all you childish attempt at logic will not obscure the history of Iraqi misadventure for intelligent minds.
So take your nonsense thinking back to the sticks.

AMERICAN NEEDS TO CUT ITS LOSSES IN THE IRAQI HELL HOLE!

TOSSING MORE AMERICAN LIVES AND LIMBS INTO THE IRAQI HELL HOLE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF A LUNATIC LEADER WILL NEVER SERVE AMERICA WELL!

You must be one "child left behind"? You seem to think like one.

[fascistusa]

Lord Bush is a FASCIST. A NAZI. A DICTATOR.

We stopped Vietnam by Congres no longer funding the WAR.

TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY!!!!!!

RESTORE DEMOCRACY!!!!

[lestb35]

The Democrats keep saying this is not the answer, that is not the answer but they fail to come up with an answer. They want to say, let's get the he11 outta there but they're ball less.

[roth510]

Thank God for Ted Kennedy. We need more senators like him to step up. This president needs to be let known how wrong he is about this war in Iraq. It is OVER!!!! Why can't he let his big ego go and admit this is now a civil war and only the Iraqis need to be fighting in the chaos, not us.
Vi (IL)

[randalds]

Give 'em hell Ted! I know that your position probably won't stand Supreme Court scrutiny, but it's nice to see SOME balls from the democratic side to stand up against this tyrant! Bush is a dictator want-to-be and there's, sadly, probably not much we can do about it, but still trying is better then rolling over with our collective paws in the air with fear, like the republicans hope we will.

[grazinggoat]

One_American,
Told U previously U were a MMMOOOORRROOOOONNNN. Have'nt yet?. Well now U know.

The only way the Whacking klan can make it happen is by eliminating people... Most of the prominent Kennedy's have gone down that road...
Ted needs a lot of protection, now.

[patriotic9]

Sen.Kennedy should also raise his voice against US tax dollars to be used in the killing of US troops in Iraq.Everybody knows that Iraqi Prime Minister is a RADICAL ISLAMIST with great ties to Iran.His SHIA ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY is based on a concept called TUQIYYAH(Lying to indfidels or fooling them in order to harm or kill them is one of the best actions of pleasing their God "ALLAH").
Saddam was fighting an American war against Islamic Radicals of his own country and Iran,whereas Bush is fighting an ISLAMIC JIHAD against United States by giving the American Tax payers' money and American Weapons to that Islamic Radical for the killing of our troops deployed there on the name of REBUILDING IRAQ and ARMING IRAQI SECURITY FORCES.
I ask all the Democratic Senators to stop funding ISLAMIC RADICALS under the leadership of MALIKI and MUQTADA AL SADR which they are using against our troops.All those Americans who are satisfied with the killing of US troops by their tax dollars are equally guilty of murder.

[stevex47]

Oh and by the way, right wing nut-jobs. When you throw out a candidate for pres. next time, make sure that person knows how to pronounce nuclear, not nuke u lur. Okay, can we agree on that? Thanks,

[toolmangler-2009]

Kennedy is very familiar with the term 'Cut and run' as evidenced by "Chapaquitic". If he wants to save lives and money he should come up with and fund an action that will give the "Iraqis" the ability to stifle the interest or need for the war. If 'King Goerge' (circa 1750) had given the "Colonies" self government and a voice in how they were taxed the U.S.A would be a part of the British empire this very day....

[fascistusa]

Lord Bush is a FASCIST. A NAZI. A DICTATOR.

We stopped Vietnam by Congres no longer funding the WAR.

TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY!!!!!!

RESTORE DEMOCRACY!!!!

[frankly6]

lestb35/bellaL

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

[randalds]

Iraq IS Vietnam! how many more must die before our nation realizes this and stops the insanity before we have as many die now as then?

Many say that if we leave Iraq now it'll mean defeat. I tell you that we have already lost this war. It's time to admit it and get out. NOW!

[skyk-2009]

It doesn't take much to be a Loser like Bush... any moron can do that. It does take a great leader to conduct a War and WIN. The same tired clowns continue with the same tired old hate for anyone who refuses to practice Fascism. These same fascist continue to attack anyone who points out the obvious fact that we are LOSING and our OWN people are telling us that. Instead of doing as the people want and remove American Troops from this God awlful mess he's created, Bush has to have funds cut off. How pathetic is that? Even for a dumb as a box of rocks Southern Fascist, that's pretty stupid!!!

[toolmangler-2009]

If you cannot agree here, what makes you think congress can. At least when a congress-person disagrees with someone they start by saying "My esteemed Colleague" and reframe from using vulgar or imflammatory language when ever possible.

(Posted earlier by me)
"If the radical extremist in the Mid East had not blamed the U.S.A. for 'ALL' their troubles and started attacking us (9-11-2001 among others), but become involved in the governmental process and worked for different reforms in the use of their own natural resources so that oil consuming countries would be more inclined to wean themselves from organic fuels completely this war may never have happened. But then it never 'was' about Oil to begin with. Radical Islam needed a unifying focal point and picked the most visible country in the world to turn into the big bully on the block. By castigating America in the world press and calling attention to every wrong committed by 'American' troops and marking every Ied, Suicide bomber or murder by death squad event as all Americas fault, Bin Ladin, Zawahri, and any blood-soaked militia leader has nearly gotten the breathing room they need to make this entire Planet (Sharia) muslim ruled. I have nothing against Islam except for their penchant toward forcing me to be Muslim or die. Some people need to take a closer look at what is 'really' going on in the world, first the U.S.A. then China then the world. (don't worry, I get out of this padded cell tomorrow)"

[toolmangler-2009]

Sorry for the misspellings. (arthritus)

[nyckate]

Shouldn't the President of the US have to answer to Congress regards actions he takes over Iraq and War on Terror and economy and all other things that affect Ameriac?? Afterall, we aren't a monarchy - George is not King George and Cheney is not Stalin. They are but temporary elected officials who will be replaced in 2 years and we will still be stuck with the consequences of their actions as they retire off to their mansion estates.

So why shouldn't they start to finally answer to America and Congress on their terrible failures in Iraq - its not like they have a trackrecord of making any right decision on Iraq yet.

[fascistusa]

frankly6:

Times they are a Changin'

[rharrin1]

Iraq is ONLY about oil
bush and cheney invented cut and run during Vietnam
Put the blame where it belongs the congress and the people of this country and the world was lied to by bush and cheney and all for oil there is no military solution for Iraq now that should have been done in the beginning the two cowards at the top have to shoulder all responsibility for this dumb mess

[inventagod]

The Bu$h 'war on terror' is only a thinly-veiled attempt at being opportunistic world cops.

The chances of you even meeting a 'terrorist' in your lifetime is nil, and the jury is still out on the 9/11 atrocity being planned by terrorists instead of rogue U.S. politicians.

Bu$h, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Halliburton could be the real terrorists of this planet.

[nyckate]

To ToolMangler - oh dear Lord - you are truly thinking that there is some sort of "jeffersonian" democracy going to be built in Iraq - by the sectarian strict muslims elected?? Are you for real?

IF the proper Pentagon generals say that they need more troops there then I can agree with that - BUT that is only if real military people working hand-in-hand with political experts handle it together - Iraq does not have the required leadership - the current leaders are answerable to and allow muslim clerics to run the place and put their own militias in to over-see the government.

Bush hasn't shown any ability to run Iraq action - we've no reason to expect that has changed now.

[rharrin1]

Another thing if bush and cheney had not lied this message board would not exist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[agnim]

There can be no victory in the Iraqi hell hole!

'Stabilizing Iraq' for maniac muslim shias IS IS THE SAME AS CREATING AND FUNDING OSAMA BIN LADENS IN AFGHANISTAN ALL OVER AGAIN!

Those maniac muslims will return one day to destroy Americas and America!

[agnim]

Only a dam fool with a death wish would give military aid and military training to maniac muslims.

Americans, you have lost your fcuking minds! And you have an idiotic leader to prove it!

Wake the hell up before it's too late again and more 911's are upon you sleeping arse!

LEARN FROM THE CLEAR LESSONS OF INSANE ISLAMICA HISTORY!

AND DON'T GIVE MILITARY AID AND MILITARY TRAINING TO MANIAC MUSLIMS!
OR IT IS YOUR OWN DEATH SENTENCE AS AN 'INFIDEL'!

[dcam47]

America won the war in Iraq,Saddam and his sons are gone,job done,bring the troops home,nothing more can be accomplished.

[notblue]

Agnim, what makes you qualified to judge or speak for the Iraqis? How do you know the majority of Iraqis are maniac muslims? The whole point to this conflict is to not allow the maniac muslims to take control of Iraq, HELLO! Ted Kennedy is a dispicable human being that works for himself and his extreme left wing political views. Ted Kennedy has zero credibility unless your a left wing nut. The lessons I have learned from Islamic extremism is they don't care about innocent live all they care about is destroying anything thatwould come in conflict with there barbaric ideology.

[tejasdemo]

That's right. Not one more dime for more troops !

Not one more dime for the whole mess. I hope they pull the plug on the whole thing. Make Halliburton pay to fly every single soldier home first class right to their hometown !

[citizenusa-2009]

Kennedy is right! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Bush brags that he is the "war president" (easily done when you have an endless supply of young men and women to sacrafice and you can watch it all on CNN). I prayed Bush would not be elected and I prayed that he would not be relected...maybe the third time's the charm and the Democrats will put a halt to this meglomaniac.

[samthetvcat]

Hmmm . . . this bill seems like it's treading a fine line constitutionally, but realistically it doesn't really matter because Bush'll just veto it, don't you think?

I think the dems in Congress need to consider other tactics for dealing with Bush - although I agree with the stance of the bill, it just doesn't seem like it'll work . . .

[goldesprit]

Kennedy IS right. Period.
Don't let the media tendency to show "both sides" of a complex issue -- cloud a simple truth about same.

There are as many "sides" to this as there are decent American soldiers under harms way for a gigantic, deliberate, money and power driven, lie.

Three words to sum up.

Kennedy is correct.

One more word for Mr. Bush--a word he has trouble understanding--even according to many in his own party.

That word is... NO.

[exusmcsgt]

As if Bubba wouldn't veto a law requiring him to get approval from Congress. This will serve only for posturing purposes on both sides and have no net effect on policy.

Bubba will have to veto it or he hasn't a prayer of salvaging his legacy, and the Dems will never let the Repubs off the hook for that step.

The Dems, on the other hand, will have cover when the surge fails contending that they tried to stop it but had their hands tied by Bubba.

Smart move by the Dems, but it will mean nothing to our warriors.

[one_american]

Kennedy bloviates to the National Press Club in Washington. It looks like the Press has its marching orders, now.

Ted Kennedy is wobbling his rubber sabre.

Americans have not yet heard any of the proposals that President Bush will be outlining in his speech tomorrow night, so Ted Kennedy's remarks are PREMATURE and UNINFORMED, at best.

If the Democrats deny funding for a troop increase, then they will be preventing any of the Baker Commission findings from being implemented, and denying the possibility for increased security while Shiite and Sunni factions negotiate for peace, and any lack of success in Iraq WILL BE ENTIRELY THE DEMOCRAT'S FAULT.

Ted Kennedy is a career moron.

[exusmcsgt]

One_American-

Although the "plan" is yet to be announced, Bubba has been "floating" for several days his intentions, as is typical. Can you imagine the public reaction if the first they were to hear of an INCREASE in troops after voting in people to bring them home was to be from Bubba's lips tomorrow night? There would be absolute outrage and anger.

Thus, the floating beforehand. It's done all the time and you certainly appear intelligent enough to know that such is the case.

[toolmangler-2009]

There will never be a "Jeffersonian" type democracy in the Middle East. All I want is some form of government that is "NOT" run by religion anywhere. What amazes me is that the world is ignoring the fact that 95% of the conflicts going on right now are fueled by poverty fired by religious zealots and inflicted anywhere free thought has a foothold. "Iraq is ONLY about oil" this is exactly what the extremist would have us all believe. This way they have a ready-made cadre of mindless suicide bombers to draw from. 72 virgins sounds like heaven to some but I say if a god has to use *** as a reason for following him then I say it is a false god. I know that not all Muslims subscribe to this fallacious line of thought and for that I am thankful. I only want them to step forward and stop this stupidity before the World takes steps toward fulfilling G. Orwells prophecy of 1984.

[suiteo1]

The bottom line for me is that sadly, we never caught Bin Laden. If we had, for the most part, all this might have been over with a couple of years ago.

[exusmcsgt]

ToolMangler-

Saddam ran about as secular show as there was going. That's how he kept all the religious hatred contained. Our problem now is that the power vacuum we created has uncorked the bottle and only the disintegration of Iraq into three states is left to transpire - regardless of what we do.

[exusmcsgt]

Suiteo1-

We never caught Bin Laden @ Tora Bora because the US outsourced the job to Iraqi warlords to avoid casualties. Bin Laden paid off the same guys we did to get away. Great leadership, eh?

[annd2302]

citizenUSA

You do not sound old enough to wipe Kennedy%u2019s butt. Kennedy does not know what he is right about, hell President Bush has told no one of his future plans. Let%u2019s not ( no, you don%u2019t need to) get the cart before the horse. A lot of people need just to wait and see what the President has in mind.

Are you stupid enough to think President Bush just pulls these strategies out of a magic hat somewhere? Do you not realize he has advisers and people who give his data and suggestions as to possibly handle these crisis and situations?

Hypothetically, if the entire legal American citizenship of the United States were to agree 100% on any one issue, this entire nation could band together and litterly walk on the oceans and conquer any country in the world. Wishful thinking, however why don%u2019t you and yours give your 100% support to your country and its current political regime?

Support your homeland, that is what all this is about. So if you or anyone else cannot at least support your own people, may GOD have mercy on your soul.

[exusmcsgt]

annd2302-

From my observation, I would agree that Bubba does not pull his ideas out of a hat, either.

He obviously pulls them out straight out of his a$$.

[samthetvcat]

Hypothetically, if the entire legal American citizenship of the United States were to agree 100% on any one issue, this entire nation could band together and litterly walk on the oceans and conquer any country in the world. Wishful thinking, however why don%u2019t you and yours give your 100% support to your country and its current political regime?
Posted by annd2302 at 07:11 PM : Jan 09, 2007

Sorry but is that the goal in Iraq - to 'conquer' them?!? And are people when we 'band together' to 'conquer' other countries supposed to surrender or die? Oh well why didn't Bush make that clear instead of bothering with this 'democracy' mumbo jumbo . . .

[exusmcsgt]

mrstinky-

While I'm not a Kennedy fan, this is one of the smartest moves he's made in a long time. He'll force Bubba to veto the bill, as I said earlier. It's all about posturing.

The Dem's will later throw it in the Repub's face that Bubba went against the will of Congress to send more troops into a situation whose disastrous results were obviously a foregone conclusion.

Frankly, I don't think that Kennedy has the intellectual horsepower to come up with this, but he certainly has a staffer who does....

[exusmcsgt]

SamTheTVCat-

annd2302 obviously has unbridled respect for lemmings.

[patriotic9]

annd2302
"support your homeland"How can you support your homeland if you support that President who is giving American Tax Payers' money to an Islamic Radical named Maliki who is the GOVERNOR OF IRAQ appointed by the IRANIAN AYATOLLAHs,for the killing of US troops deployed in Iraq.Do you think it was a right decision to remove a Secular Saddam from power whose Foreing Minister "Tariq Aziz"was a Catholic and had females in his administration and to give power to a DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED ISLAMIC RADICAL who is taking our tax payed money and our weapons to kill our soldiers.If you care even a little bit about USA,you can't sleep at night knowing that your tax dollars are killing the brave men and women of our country who have volunteered to defend our great country and risked their own lives.Saddam Hussain was fighting an American war against ISLAMIC RADICALS of his own country and IRAN at the same time,whereas BUSH is fighting an ISLAMIC JIHAD against our troops by giving weapons on the name of ARMING IRAQI SECURITY FORCES and our TAX DOLLARS on the name of REBUILDING IRAQ to those enemies of USA whose spiritual leader KHUMAINIE had called us "THE GREATEST SATAN" for the killing of our men and women in uniform.If you think that MALIKI whose religious belief teaches to hate NON MUSLIMS is not killing our soldiers by money given to him by BUSH,you are not dreaming but severely HALLUCINATING.

[exusmcsgt]

mrstinky-

Regardless of how much treasure and how many warriors we waste on Iraq, it will disintegrate into 3 smaller states just as Yugoslavia disentegrated into 7 or 8 states once Tito's iron fist no longer kept it cobbled together. And for the same reason - ethnic hatred.

We need to face that eventuality, say the hell with Bubba's legacy, admit it for the horrendous error it is and get the hell out of there.

[exusmcsgt]

mrstinky-

I will add that a "unified Iraq" became an historical reference once Bubba took out Saddam. There has not been a "unified Iraq" since, nor will there ever be again. It's just not going to happen.

The Shias, Sunnis, and Kurds are all bent on dominating the other groups. Ethnic cleansing, just as happened in the former Yugoslavia, is already taking place.

The only ones who don't see that fact are those who choose not to.

[exusmcsgt]

mrstinky-

Thank you, but unfortunately for us all, I believe it to be the case.

And what a downright crime it is. We have wasted warriors, billions of treasure, lost respect all around the globe and for what? Because a moronic president who is driven by theology instead of common sense led us to dismember another country that was not even attacking us and reduce it to ethnic states.

History will correctly judge Bubba as the totally inept leader that he is, and rightly so. Unfortunately, that will be of little solace to our dead and maimed warriors and their families that this boondoggle has caused.

[patriotic9]

mrstinky
We need to learn few lessons from Iraq and need not to repeat same mistake again.Lesson #1
"A SECULAR DICTATOR in the MIDDLE EAST is much better then a DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED RELIGIOUS RADICAL"
Lesson #2
Before invading any country or nation,we need to learn their culture and in case of RADICAL ISLAM,their religion before invading those countries.
Both SHIA and SUNNI muslim believe in a concept known as AL WALA WAL BARA FILLAH(Love for the sake of ALLAH and HATRED for the sake of ALLAH).They've been taught to hate NON-MUSLIMS for pleasing their Allah.Shia islam is a little different in a sense that their HATRED is undercover of a concept called TUQIYYAH(Fooling infidels or lying to them in order to kill or harm them is the best action in the eyes of ALLAH).These concepts are very clearly evident in the way they fought against our troops in Iraq.Sunnis had shown their hatred from the very begining by starting insurgency against our troops whereas SHIAs had shown a beautiful face of TUQIYYAH till they achieved their goal of making a democratically elected ISLAMIC GOVT by US tax payed money and US Soldiers' lives to establish an ISLAMIC EMPIRE from IRAN in the EAST to LEBANON in the WEST to fulfil the demand of the 2nd coming of IMAM MEHDI who according to their RADICAL BELIEF'll kill all the NON-MUSLIMS.

[exusmcsgt]

patriotic9-

Good post. I would add one more lesson if I may:

A return to the American policy of using war as a defensive mechanism instead using our warriors and treasure as tools of aggression.

[patriotic9]

exusmcsgt
I highly appreciate it.You are absolutely right.I wish and hope our new administration'll understand things better and will listen to other people before making a desicion.I think France and Germany were not our enemies while opposing Iraq invasion.They probably understood Radical Islam a little more then our administration.By the way what happened to OSAMA BEEN-FORGOTTEN.Didn't we start this war to capture him DEAD OR ALIVE?We needed to bring him to justice before starting any new mission.