Kennedy: Bush Stalling On Iraq Decision

(CBS/AP)  The Bush administration is leaving the ultimate decision on whether to keep troops in Iraq to the next president, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said Sunday on Face The Nation.

"It's clear that ... this administration is trying to delay the ultimate judgment till the next president gets into office, that's what this president has said, and then let them take the burden on it," Kennedy told Bob Schieffer.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus are expected to warn Congress on Monday that making any significant changes to the current war strategy will jeopardize the limited security and political progress made so far.

Later in the week, Mr. Bush plans a national address.

"I mean, we thought we had a president that was the decider, and all we're finding out now is the first judgments were going to be made in the early summer, midsummer, late summer," Kennedy said. "Now it looks like General Petraeus is going to ask for six more months."

Kennedy was among a handful of lawmakers who voted against giving Bush authority to invade Iraq nearly five years ago.

"I was against the war, I continue to be against the war, and I'm going to do everything I possibly can to bring American troops home at the earliest possible time," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said that U.S. troops are being held hostage by Iraqi politicians who have not made progress on national reconciliation.

"We have been a crutch for too long," Kennedy said. "We have been the survival blanket for the Iraqi government, and the only way they're going to make the tough decisions and judgments is to start bringing those troops home."

[kansas1946]

Yeah, "Mr. Decider" is not only a fool, he is a coward. He doesn''t want to deal with his own mess. Since there is no good outcome, one way or the other, in Iraq, he will "hope" the blame for the mess goes on the next president. And to judge by some of the decisions and thinking of the American people, he may be right. So I am reminding everybody right now, if things turn out to be a disaster in Iraq in 2010, remember who caused the mess in the first place. It does not matter what the next president does, Iraq will be a mess.

[brianbwb-2009]

this country needs to get back to basic, americans helping americans..no reps.no dems. just americans. no more two party..

no more lobbiest should be in washington period...
Posted by forthepeopl1

In a twisted way there are no Dems or Repubs anymore, just a bunch of corrupt gangsters hiding under the name of their constituency

We have deficit spending repubs, and social program cutting dems, it is all a joke.

Lobbying is bribery. It is time to send all the Abramoffs to the federal YMCA.

[forthepeopl1]

brianbwb, agree with what you say totaly..

but until the media stops taken orders from our govenment on what news to report than and only than will americans really know what is going on.

no one in congress has the b/a/l/l/s to stand up and tell the truth on anything...and until americans stand up and say we the people hired you so we can fire you all and start over with normal americans that only want to help americans

this country needs to get back to basic, americans helping americans..no reps.no dems. just americans. no more two party..

no more lobbiest should be in washington period...

[brianbwb-2009]

I agree the man needs to be impeached but until some Republican''''s get that message there''''s little that Democrats can do.
Posted by skyk

The democrats can use the media attention they get to influence more of the public to become involved and show their support for the measure. Just like Bush used it to convince America to believe his lies.

I find that the Democrats are embarrassingly weak in the area of using the media to convey their opposition to the public, and the public is waiting desperately for it.

[forthepeopl1]

HEY SKYK, LETS NOT FORGET HOW OUR OWN GOVERNEMNT IS KILLING AND HAVEING SOME 50,000 AMERICAN SOLDGERS AFFECTED WITH ANTRAK VACSEENS AND NOW HAVE BEEN DISCHARGE 100 DISABLE

WHY HASN''T THE NEWS BEEN ON TOP OF THIS AND TELLING US...

THIS GOVERNEMNT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT AND SHOT

[forthepeopl1]

EVEN AFTER 5 YEARS BUSH COULD CARE LESS IF BIN IS AROUND,WHY? BECAUSE BIN IS PART OF THE ROYAL ARAIBA FAMILEY AND BUSH HAS BEEN TOLD TO LEAVE HIM ALONE..



Bush Tells Barnes Capturing Bin Laden Is %u2018Not A Top Priority Use of American Resources%u2019
Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes appeared on Fox this morning to discuss his recent meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office. The key takeaway for Barnes was that %u201Cbin Laden doesn%u2019t fit with the administration%u2019s strategy for combating terrorism.%u201D Barnes said that Bush told him capturing bin Laden is %u201Cnot a top priority use of American resources.%u201D Watch it.


Bush%u2019s priorities have always been skewed. Just months after declaring he wanted bin Laden %u201Cdead or alive,%u201D Bush said, %u201CI truly am not that concerned about him.%u201D Turning his attention away from bin Laden, Bush trained his focus on Iraq %u2014 a country he now admits had %u201Cnothing%u201D to do with 9/11.

Capturing bin Laden, as Rep. Nancy Pelosi recently pointed out, will not necessarily make America safer because it would come five years too late. Yet, capturing or killing the man responsible for 9/11 should remain a high pr

[infidel_us]

Kennedy is a lot like bin Laden....comes out of his cave every few years to get his face on TV. If anyone is an expert on lies and liars, it''s Kennedy.

[xlib]

What happened about Sept 15th and the report??
You know what libs, we all know that no matter what the report says your media already has the script written. No matter who the report comes from you''ll find tons and tons of fault. And of course, you''ll immediately go to "THE LIE" ploy. No matter what.
As for teddy, he looks like he needs another drink.
As for leaving Iraq for the next President, would that be like Vietnam that was left for Nixon. That "reasoning" is so stupid it could only come from someone like teddy.
Are we still in Bosnia?? Was binLaden still running around by 1/20/00? Did the USS Cole terrorist attack remain open? Wasn''t there a comment about not wanting to get into the Cole issue but leave it for the next guy?
As usual, dems making up so called rules as they stumble along.

[brianbwb-2009]

Any of the pro war supporters here care to explain their interpretation of "progress", "success", or the ever popular "the surge is working"?

The first two should have been defined before this obscene mess even started, and the last should have been explained at the time it was spewed.

Again, I ask anyone here, what is meant by these terms. It seems to me they can only mean that the Iraqis:

1. Agree to stop resisting our illegal occupation

2. Agree to stop defending themselves from a hostile invader (us), who is kidnapping, torturing, and murdering their loved ones

3. Agree to let Bush steal their oil, with little compensation

4. Accept a puppet government, installed by the same hostile force mentioned above

If it is the case that no other definition can be offered, then this is clearly a treasonable, futile, dangerously ignorant, financially devastating, open ended and strategically fatal action we are engaged in

Thought I''d bring these questions in the pro war peeps are having a hard time with them.

Kennedy should start the impeachment call, but he, like all the other politicians, left and right, are too corrupt to jeopardize their cash cows.

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair''''s bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pa
ges/live/articles/news/news.html?in_arti
cle_id=465570&in_page_id=1770

Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/