Democrats Denounce Bush's Iraq Plan

Senate Majority Whip Says President "Ignoring" Advice, Urges "Surge Of Diplomacy"

(CBS/AP)  President Bush's announcement of a military buildup in Iraq puts him on a collision course with the new Democratic Congress.

In a prime-time address to the nation, Mr. Bush pushed back against the Democrats' calls to end the war. He said that "to step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government, tear that country apart and result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale."

The president said he was increasing U.S. troops by 21,500 to quell the country's near-anarchy.

Democrats were quick to respond.

"Escalation is not the change people called for in the last election," said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., during a news conference immediately following Mr. Bush's speech. "In ordering more troops in Iraq, the president is ignoring the strong advice of most of his top generals."

"Twenty thousand American soldiers are too few to end this civil war in Iraq, and too many American lives to risk on top of those we've already lost" he said, adding that "If there's any surge that we need, it's a surge of diplomacy."

He added, "The Iraqis must understand that they alone can lead their nation to freedom. They alone must meet the challenges that lie ahead. And they must know that every time they call 911, we’re not going to send 20,000 more American soldiers."

Even before Mr. Bush's address, the new Democratic leaders of Congress renewed their opposition to a buildup. "This is the third time we are going down this path. Two times this has not worked," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said after meeting with the president. "Why are they doing this now? That question remains."

Senate and House Democrats are arranging votes urging the president not to send more troops. While lacking the force of law, the symbolic votes will force every member of Congress to go on the record as either for or against the troop buildup — including some members who are running for president, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

Mr. Bush's plan drew criticism from Republicans as well as Democrats. "This is a dangerously wrongheaded strategy that will drive America deeper into an unwinnable swamp at a great cost," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a Vietnam veteran and potential GOP presidential candidate.

Several Republican senators are candidates for backing the resolution against a troop increase. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Gordon Smith of Oregon and Norm Coleman of Minnesota said they oppose sending more soldiers.

Republican Sens. George Voinovich of Ohio and John Warner of Virginia also might be persuaded. Warner said he supports the Iraq Study Group recommendations, which strongly cautioned against an increase in troops unless advocated by military commanders.

On Tuesday, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., introduced legislation that would deny the president the money needed to send more troops unless Congress agreed first. It was unclear whether the bill would ever reach the full Senate, but it could serve as a rallying point for critics.

"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."

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

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

The buildup runs counter to widespread anti-war passions among Americans and the advice of some — but not all — top generals.

It comes two months after elections that were widely seen as a call for the withdrawal of some or all U.S. forces from Iraq. Polling by AP-Ipsos in December found that only 27 percent of Americans approved of Mr. Bush's handling of Iraq, his lowest rating yet.

"He has really put it all on the line,” says CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. "The question you have to ask is, 'If this doesn't work, where will he go from there?'"

[observantx]

If it passes, Reid, D-Nev., said, "The president's going to have to take note of that. I think that's the beginning of the end, as far as I'm concerned."

OooooooH!

A nonbinding slap on the wrist. How impressive! What's the matter Harry? You have rubber teeth?

Don't waste our time with nonbinding resolutions. They don't mean squat and both you and the Oval Office Pinocchio know it. This isn't the beginning of anything. Either take real action or shut up.

[bluestardad]

nonbindingaintshit!

[clestes-2009]

Finally Congress is taking the action it should have taken 4 years ago. This business of letting Bush run wild without oversight has gotten us these results:

1. Massive debt
2. 3000+ dead
3. Lost respect of other world leaders
4. Increased hatred of US thus making us less safe.

This is just for starters. Congress dropped the ball bigtime, and now we are paying for their lack of oversight.

[citizenusa-2009]

My God! This is like a bad movie where no one can seem to stop the mad dictator! We've elected the Democrats to represent us in putting a halt to our president's "personal agenda" and now I read that the troop surge is a "done deal" beginning February 1st. What???????

[observantx]

"We haven't seen anything in this town in a long, long time like we're going to see now," CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer said.

"This whole thing could wind up in a constitutional crisis. You know, the Congress has the right to cut off money for anything. And if they have the political will to do that, they have the constitutional ability to do that and what does a president do after that? Where does he go from there?"

I'll tell you where he goes. He goes back to our Oval Office and does exactly what the Congress and the people have told him to do. Nothing more and certainly NOTHING less!

[zrmz-2009]

As a member of the US Army currently deployed in Iraq, in Baghdad, who is going outside of the wire day-in, and day-out, I support the plan that the President is putting forth. Many of you will never truly know the kind of evil that we are out here combating until you are pulling bodies out of a ditch.

We either need to take the handcuffs off, take on the militias who are perpetrating most of these killings...or go home. We can get the job done;

[fredegrar]

I was just looking at the list of senators that voted in favor of the 'Authorization of the Use of Force in Iraq' resolution (which includes sen. Reid - which may explain the baby steps) and reading the text of the resolution as well. It would've been nice had the Republican congress put in some explicit text that would allow Congress to pull the plug instead of just completely caving in to the executive. Kennedy asserted that it was only authorizing war against the Hussein regime. Whatever the 'spirit' of the resolution was, the actual text of it is far broader than that, granting the pres. wide latitude in determining how to best protect our 'national security' as it relates to Iraq. In my view, just so things are perfectly legally clear, Congress will need to enact something specifically revoking the authorization.

[netadmin1-2009]

ZMRZ - I support you and the troops in Iraq - You guys are doing a great job over there - keep it up, finish the job and CYA

[xccoach]

The pres might think he has the power/tricks but Ah... you are all forgetting that the biggest and baddest legislative trick of all is with the Dems... (especially for this administration!)

Can we say SUPEONA POWER?

[netadmin1-2009]

ZRMZ - not ZMRZ - sorry about that..

[schandler5]

EVERYONE REMEMBER'S THE STATEMENT FROM ONE OF THE BRAVE VICTOM'S OF 911 "LET'S LET HER ROLL"! CONGRESS NEEDS TO ALSO PUT THIS STATEMENT INTO ACTION! LOOKING AT BUSH AS OUR TERRORIST AT THIS POINT, CONGRESS STAND UP FOR THE PEOPLE THAT PUT YOU IN OFFICE, AND TAKE BUSH OUT! ENOUPH SAID!

[observantx]

ZRMZ:

I too, support you and wish you and your comrades a safe return. Going after the militias is what should have happened the very second they started sticking their heads out of the sand. But what happened? The brass holed up in the Green Zone and sent you out in underarmored Humvees to be rolling targets and bomb bait. They let al-Maliki block off access to Sadr City, making that area a green zone for the Shiite militia.

The only reason we have a battle in Baghdad today is for the photo ops it gives just prior to the president%u2019s speech. This whole enterprise has been too little, too late, and on the cheap for everyone except Haliburton & friends ever since it began.

[random_radar]

Congress has complete control over the war and everything else. There is no limit to their power. They can do anything from cutting off funding to actually impeaching the president. They could impeach the entire supreme court. They could call a constitutional convention since all 50 states have petitioned for one at least twice each!

If there is anything wrong with government in America, we should blame congress. The buck stops there. If we want reform, we should expect it from congress and hold our representatives accountable. Put the pressure on congress.

[randalds]

It's time for the democrats to draw the line! This lunatic in the White House is ignoring everyone but his equally insane neocons. Now he wants to send another 20,000 targets to Iraq at a cost of more then $6 billion dollars! He is sick! He is mentally ill! He is insane! There must be a way for congress to stop this madman before he murders even more people.

[one_american]

"Democrats Propose Defeat"

So, what else is news with Nancy "Fancy-Pants" Pelosi and her liberal lackeys?

[sharncedar]

"We either need to take the handcuffs off, take on the militias who are perpetrating most of these killings"

What you are saying is you need to get tough and crack down on the Shiite militias. That would be ....... exactly what Saddam Hussein just hung by the neck and died for.

So, is it OK for us to do it, but Saddam Huessein must die for it? Or will we somehow "get tough" in a nice, civilized way.

It's no win for us. George Bush has set this into an impossible situation. He acts like he is a moral authority, which means we can't do our job in a tough way.

Why not just leave Saddam Hussein there? He was controlling the militias fine, with less collateral damage than we are causing. Are we going to be more violent than Saddam now, because that is the only way to get this back under control.

Or if we just hang our despot by the neck, then bring our kids home.

[randalds]

Or if we just hang our despot by the neck, then bring our kids home.

Posted by SharnCedar at 12:51 PM : Jan 10, 2007

Bravo and amen!

[jmagarotz]

Either finish the job or withdraw the troops. Quit bleating about it. Our enemies have no respect for the USA because the average American has no stomach for a fight, you'd rather sit on your lazy butt and talk the problem to death. When the enemy arrives on US soil, and they will, then and only then will you gutless wonders wake up. By that time it'll be too late. I suggest you stock up on korans and prayer rugs. Trust me, life as you know it is going to change, and you ain't gonna like it!

[notblue]

All the carping liberals here at left wing central need to understand that the Dems are in charge now, let's see how there plan of retreat works for America. Anyone who believes George Bush has done a good job with the Iraq conflict is an idiot. Equally anyone who believes George Bush is soley to blame is just as big of an idiot.

[meboard]

I say let mr. bush twist in the wind (oops, sorry for the pun). Bring the troops home...impeach bush and d i c k for criminal incompetence...defend the ports and borders...and elect a Dem for Pres in 2008! Enough said!

[randalds]

Sorry notblue, but no matter what the democrats do or do not do and no matter how successful they are or are not, this will always be known as Bush's war. It was his folly to begin with and it still is. All of the blood in on his hands. He knows his legacy, as the greatest fu*ckup in American history.

[fizzie319]

NO MORE TROOPS IN IRAQ.

If we pull out and a civil war starts / continues, that blood bath will not be any worse than it already is.

All of you who want to "stay the course" in Iraq: Keep in mind while you are at home rooting for the home team, more people are dying. a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_conflict_in_Iraq_since_2003" The latest number for Iraqi casualties is anywhere from as little as 150,000 all the way to 655,000 people. /a

As far as keeping our homeland safe from "terror attacks", we have the Administration and the previous congress to thank for the programs that where instated in order to keep America "safe". We should have all the protection we need from "terrorists".

[fizzie319]

Ahh oops didnt read the fine print about no html...

Here is the link that I was trying to post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_conflict_in_Iraq_since_2003

[randalds]

If we leave Iraq today and I do mean today as in bug out like we did in Saigon, then Iraq will be in the middle of a bloody civil war. The problem with that is that Iraq is already in the middle of a bloody civil war! We're not stopping anything or helping, except for providing weapons and training to both sides! If we leave in a year, therell be a bloody civil war. If we leave in 10 years, therell be a bloody civil war! All sending more troops in will accomplish is to give the freedom fighters more targets to shoot at.

over $1 billion for Iraq's economy and to create jobs?

Where in the hell are they going to work? If they keep blowing everything up there will no where to work and don't we already have enough rag heads working in our 711's

[randalds]

Sure would be nice if we had a billion dollar jobs creation program here in the US.

[ademeyer]

"Democrats Propose Defeat" One_American

Try this on for size:

"Bush ties up US Military in Iraqi Civil War, US interests left Unprotected."

"Billions in Iraqi Reconstruction, No funds left to screen Cargo Ships in US Ports."

"US Generals Express Doubts that "Surge" will work, Bush overrules Commanders' Opinion."

[Syndicate]

A vote would be a good Idea I would like to see who stands where and then hold them accountable for thier positions. Of course it would put a big smile on my face if the Dems lost the vote and I think thats a possibility especialy in the senate.

[skyk-2009]

This whole mess simply saddens me. As a Combat Veteran of Vietnam I, and all my brothers, know how stupid this all is. When we started following Fascist who had NO concern for the real safety of the country but were out to do what they always are out to do, find someone to exploit, we lost. This thing has been lost for so long now the only thing Sir Lies Alot and his Fascist Pals are doing is attempting to buy time so they can pawn it off on others. Think I'm wrong? Point to ONE, just ONE truth, this corrupt little liar has told us about this war. There is NOTHING for us to win folks, these people will hate us so bad for so long that any expolitation by the Fascist is out of the question. It's truly a God Awlful Mess we have gotten in by allowing people who have NEVER been right to tell us who and how to fight.

[jimibear]

"Oval Office Pinocchio" ... hee! Nice one, ObservantX!

Question, though ... Bush's nose looks relatively normal. What grows when he lies? Does it explain Laura's perma-grin and look of dazed satisfaction?

[Syndicate]

One truth "mission acomplished". The Lincoln's mission was accomplished. Okay? good! Now shut up. Didn't he say Saddam was a bad man? Two truths. Lets see what else. HE said it would be a long hard fight and would go on for many years and would go into the next presidancy. Three, four, five truths.....

[jimibear]

skyk, I am sure you have read Eisenhower's speech on leaving office in 1961, in which he warned against the "military industrial complex" and advised that the people whp profit from war must not be allowed to be the ones who decide when we go to war.

This was from an ex-military man. Well, now who's sending us to war? An oilman and the former board member of the largest contractor to the military.

Coincidence? No, of course not. We are governed by war profiteers.

[jimibear]

cbsCrash07, if you are serious, then I have some swampland in Florida you need to buy.

Saddam was a bad man, sure. Of course, he was a bad man that Reagan and Bush I put in power and armed, but hey ... who's counting?

As for predicting this would be a long, hard fight: that was the "war on terror" as a whole, not the Iraq war. Bush predicted the Iraq war would be a lightning victory of "Shock and awe".

As for the "mission accomplished" sign ... whatever. If you view that as the truth in any way, you are beyond hope.

People like you, who twist reality to suit their ideas rather than forming their ideas based on reality, are called "delusional" or, in my vocabulary, "f*cking scary". Even when Bush supporters try to name the truths George has uttered, they end up recycling or creating lies.

And three, four, five truths? What are we one Sesame Street here? Even if any of what you listed was an actual truth, the idea that we could easily sit and count, on our fingers if necessary, the true statements a president has made in 6 years would be an indictment in itself.

[michele232]

I'm extremly sadded by the news of more troops to Irac. My husband is in the national gaurd and I live daily waiting for his deployement call. Bush should be the first in line to dodge the bombs and bullets of a Holy war that will never end. May God have mercy on him!

[szelag19]

The Bush bunch has sent a surge of troops in before and all that was accomplished was more body bags coming home..this vendetta Bush has with Iraq was started much before 911..and it is captured on tape for posterity..Bush said he was going to get Saddam for trying to kill his "daddy".If you ask me Bush is in the same league as Saddam,a dictator with too much power. Saddam is dead, that was his goal,now it's time to bring our troops home, not send more there to die for Bush's folly. This fool just cannot seem to get it..the American people have had enough..He goes on vacation and his gang of miscreants adjust his strings,put him in front of the American public and he does the same old song and dance.....Impeachment would be to easy for this bunch..hanging sounds good!

[worried4us]

As a retired military member, I have to say this is the last straw.

First he told us he would listen to his military leaders...Army chief of Staff Gen Eric Shinseki told them they would need more troops and SecDef Rumsfeld forced him into retirement. Then they proceeded to run this mess right into the ground with Rumsfeld's micromanagement ala McNamara...

Now, senior military leadership voices opposition to an escalation of forces (hey, let's call it what it is) and Gens. Abazaid and Casey are now being replaced. Really listening to the troops on this one...Again....

The President is to acknowledge the lack of sufficient troops in the beginning, but last month lavished praise on Rumsfeld for his handling of everything...and let's not forget VP Chaney's comment about Rummy being the best SecDef ever...

IF he had listened to the military leaders as he SAID, this whole quagmire may not have occurred...and maybe 3,000+ American kids wouldn't lie dead, with another 20,000 wounded...And lets not forget the estimates of 100,000 Iraqi people dead and millions displaced.

It is tantamount to murder in the name of oil and defense contractors...Policy made by a former inept oil man and leader of the largest military contractor...

These clowns are CLUELESS...not very proud of the leadership of this country.

[luvny-2009]

jimibear - Question, though ... Bush's nose looks relatively normal. What grows when he lies? Does it explain Laura's perma-grin and look of dazed satisfaction?

Nope Laura's grin is just the opposite...Dumbya wears glasses...thick ones...we know why LOL

[luvny-2009]

Worried4US - VERY WELL SAID!

[Bob Rolfe]

There is such a thing as throwing good money (and lives) after bad. The current policies are a dismal failure and pushing for more of the same in a larger dose is no answer. We truly had no legitimate excuse for invading the area and we have no suitable excuse for remaining there. This is nothing more than a poor plan poorly implemented and politically controlled much as was Vietnam.

The Middle East has been at war with itself for thousands of years and will immediately return to the same upon our removal. It is totally unrealistic to think that we have the capacity to change the dynamics of this area of the world no matter what our excuses are for invading their areas.

The current administartion is directly responsible for killing enough of our own boys and enough of their civilian population who were doing nothing wrong to justify what happened. This "collateral damage" routine simply doesn't cut it!

[randalds]

jimibear - Question, though ... Bush's nose looks relatively normal. What grows when he lies? Does it explain Laura's perma-grin and look of dazed satisfaction?

Nope Laura's grin is just the opposite...Dumbya wears glasses...thick ones...we know why LOL
Posted by luvNY at 03:42 PM : Jan 10, 2007

No, but it does explain why Condi sticks by him.

;-)

[k13rvj]

This president is insane, he keeps doing the same thing expecting a different outcome. He was wrong to begin with and he is wrong to continue.

Stop this guy by cutting off all funds from any source.

All Texas representatives and senators are republican wimps who are afraid to voice any opposition to the president and mindlessly snif along his path like a puppy dog. Which means the rest of the nation has to get rid of this guy in the whitehouse who is bucking the public because he is on the fourth of his presidency and feels he can override public opinion at his singular will.

bush fancies himself as the president of Iraq and America and he needs to be thrown out of office. Send him and his new library to baghdad.

Maybe it is time to send his two daughters to Iraq in the Army. He might wake up.

[antoniof123]

Politics as usual what a shame. Of course the new congress can not do a thing yet they do not have their feet wet. After they are there and that is where they will stay until America gets like it was when they forced congress to get us out of Viet Nam. I remember it like it was yesterday. No one was more upset then those who were making a great deal of money off the war. Yes, I said war because if you were there then you would say it was a war and not a police action. So when America is ready to get out we will until the overwhelming majority of people are not ready then this is where we will stay. I did not say I like it but I have seen it before and I am seeing it now. So if you want out protest to your congress.

[randalds]

Question, though ... Bush's nose looks relatively normal. What grows when he lies? Does it explain Laura's perma-grin and look of dazed satisfaction?
Posted by jimibear at 02:47 PM : Jan 10, 2007

Actually that would be the wonders of modern medicine. With the right pills even a stepford wife robot like her can look close to normal. Nothing seems to be growing on Bush much, because Condi is his mistress but she only looks happy because she's close to "the man", not because of any real satisfaction from it.

[gdmoore2]

If Bush will not back down from troop surges, then he should be impeached. He has lied, violated our civil rights, cut and ran from Afghanistan, and entrapped our military in a war of attrition in Iraq. It will take years to undo the damage he has done to our manufacturing sector, our schools, and middle class families.

[zrmz-2009]

All:

Thanks for your good words and support, even if we don't agree on the issue. Regarding the comment (you will have to excuse me because I did not note the name of the person who posted it) on going after the militias...there is a better precedent for it than what Saddam did. By the time that Saddam took power, the Shia community was involved in an internal power struggle revolving primarily around the ascent of the Iraqi Communist Party(largely Shia in composition), and the imapact of the rise of such parties on the political composition of the community. They were weak, and without resources. Muqata al-Sadr is an heir to the reaction against the emergence of modern political parties.

Anyway, the example follows:

In the late 1800, after the mass conversion, you had militias running Najaf and Karbala, respectively, and, once the Ottomans reexerted authority over the area, the did so with a combination of overwhelming, sustained force, and public works (mostly irrigation facilitied due to the widespread calficiation of the irrigation cannals at that point, which accounted for a great deal of Shia migration north.

Taking the handcuffs off is identifying them as the enemy and taking the neccessary steps to eliminate them by any and all means available.

[j-whitman]

All of our efforts all we get is a "SYMBOLIC VOTE" - That's like sending Charles Manson to a Theater instead of Prison & telling him to play nice.

[j-whitman]

Didn't a "Symbolic Vote" help these idiots get our Nation into this Mess ??

[thgdriver]

"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."
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

It was Sen.Kennedy's Brother John that sent the first of our troops into Vietnam, what does he say about that?

How about another scotch and soda Senator, so you can drive another young girl of a pier to her death?

[thgdriver]

On Tuesday, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., introduced legislation that would deny the president the money needed to send more troops unless Congress agreed first.

The President can send the troops where they are needed.

Kennedy already killed a young girl with his drinking and driving, how many troops will he kill because of lack of funds for the tools they need?

[flahertymp]

Bush has got to go. How can someone who disregards the will of the majority and who lies to the Ameican people be allow to continue to run this country. Impeach Bush now before he completely ruins this great country.