When the Democrats were voted the majority in the House and the Senate last November, the leadership of both houses declared it was a new day in Washington, D.C.. They would have no part of corruption, earmarks for pork projects back home, and we're getting out of Iraq right now. You could almost hear them stomping their collective feet as they made their speeches and took their victory laps. Grandma MiMi brought all the children up to the podium with her to show she can, in fact, do it all. She can be a grandma and run the country at the same time. She is woman, hear her roar. She channeled Rosie the Riveter from the days of World War II.
So far, the Democrats are 1 for 3. Corruption still runs through both houses of Congress. Members under a cloud still head committees. Grandma MiMi demanded a jumbo jet for her journeys back and forth to the west coast and one big enough to bring all her family and staff with her, along with others of the California delegation. Democrats only, though. Grandma was denied special treatment and immediately threw the gender card. Hey, she can do it all - she's the toughest woman in the country and a victim at the same time.
The Democrats are doing exactly what they pouted about under Republican rules - they deny allowing amendments to be offered on 'their' bills for voting. They hold votes open for close counts, and they use pork projects as bribes for votes from those hesitating to hold the party line.
Usually, a bunch of multi million dollar projects tacked onto legislation is considered politics as usual. We are, for now, a country at war. Part of their responsibility is to fund the war. Now, however, they claim to have a mandate from the American people to stop the war. Right this minute, disguised by benchmarks and readiness tests. They get to name those, not the military on the ground. They are the commanders in chief, not the President, in their world.
What they don't tell you is the vote for Dems in November was to change course in the war, not immediate withdrawal. The polls still show the majority of the American people do not immediate withdrawal.
In order to appease the enemy and Code Pink, the Democrats have been cowed to pass a bill that is loaded with more than $20 billion in new spending for lots and lots of members' projects back home in order to pass a slow bleed of funding for the war in Iraq. It also contains a date certain for surrender. For all the wheeling and dealing, the bill passed by only 6 votes. There's the $25 million grant to spinach farmers in California, $75 million to store peanuts in Georgia, $15 million to protect Louisiana rice fields from saltwater, $120 million for shrimp and menhaden fishermen, $250 million in milk subsidies, $500 million for wildfire suppression and $1.3 billion to build New Orleans levees. What's menhaden?
And, oh yeah, no tax break extensions when they come due. You'll be paying Clinton administration level taxes in no time.
Even the Washington Post was disgusted with the House. The Post hates the President and his administration, sure, and they blame America for the woes of the world, too, but I don't think they are in full surrender mode yet. Interestingly enough, neither are the LA Times or USA Today. All have run editorials condemning the House legislation.
The House Democrats have chosen to be led by MoveOn.Org and not the commanders on the ground in Iraq. MoveOn.Org people will not be in Iraq when the mass ethnic cleansing escalates upon our withdrawal before the Iraqis are able to take over their own security in the Baghdad area as they already have over most of the country.
Two weeks ago the Senate voted on a trial kind of bill using their own date certain to be out of Iraq. It failed. Two who voted against it were the two Senators from Nebraska, one Republican and one Democrat. Hagel, the Republican, has seen himself in the Oval Office for some years now and may decide to run this time around. He recently had a press conference to say he'll have a press conference when he makes up his mind. The Democrat Senator, Ben Nelson, is a moderate and thoughtful Democrat. He usually doesn't follow the moonbats.
Today, in the Senate, both Nebraska Senators decided to surrender to IslamoFacists in Iraq and voted with all the Democrats to set a date certain for withdrawal. I hope they both toss and turn a whole lot tonight instead of getting a good night's sleep. Shame on them.
I want this war to be over as soon as humanly possible. Mistakes have been made. We are on a new course and even some of the newspaper accounts of the war are admitting hints of optimism about recent successes. I want the Iraqi people to continue to step up and take control of their country. That is why the President has to veto the bills with a date certain for withdrawal. Then it will go back to Congress and the funding requests will start again. In the meantime the military will be left high and dry if the funding is not met by April 16. The House is in recess the first two weeks of April. Hmmm. Not much time there. Grandma MiMi also has not lived up to her pledge of 5 day work weeks, either.
If you were an Iraqi, would you feel secure enough to step up with the news of the surrender party here? If you were a young American soldier would you feel supported by the 'we support the troops but not the war' crowd? If you were a family member of an American soldier would you vote for any politican that put your loved one in jeopardy thanks to surrender mentality?
Our magnificent military is 100% voluntary. They do not need politicans 'protecting' them by putting them in the position of surrendering to the enemy. They are trained warriors. They protect us, not the other way around. Recent interviews with soldiers in the battle state clearly that they do not feel supported by those mouthing support for them and not of their mission. What the surrender supporters don't understand is that a soldier doesn't distinguish himself from his mission.
All along we have been bellowed at by those not supporting the war that this is Vietnam. Wrong. The enemy was not going to follow us home from Vietnam. This time the enemy knew all along that all they had to do was wait out the people who don't understand the big picture.
The name of this post is what Senator John McCain calls the bill that was passed, by two votes, in the Senate today. As a POW during the Vietnam War, he's entitled to state his opinion, loudly and often. Let the world hear that.
2 comments:
There are days that I am so disappointed in Congress, I wish we could chuck them all and start over.
And I've heard that several of the left Democratic blogs are rejoicing at the horrid news that Tony Snow has recurrent cancer and liver mets. Makes you want to list their names under the simple title... "EVIL LIVES"
I need to get out of this house and go to the Botanical Gardens.... perhaps later, before the rain.
If it is another Vietnam, thanks to our brave Democrat and a couple of Republicans, then it will be another Cambodia shortly after we leave.
A number of South American leaders will discount American Will and Might after our troops are forced to accept that all their sacrifice and loss has meant little and brought home.
It is so obvious that we are judged by our deeds and are losing that one thing which means so much, our Word. When no one can believe that, we will eventually lose a very many lives than now necessary. It's obvious but a majority don't get it. Of course not, they don't see themselves as ever getting in harms way.
Post a Comment