Fear of Clowns

I caught about 45 minutes of debate on C-SPAN over the Republican's sham resolution to immediately pull out of Iraq. It reminded me of Question Time in the House of Commons ... uproars, shouting down and, running about.

Here is Rep. John Murtha's resolution, introduced to encourage debate about hat the hell we're trying to do in Iraq (the resolution was not up for debate or voted upon),

Whereas Congress and the American People have not been shown clear, measurable progress toward establishment of stable and improving security in Iraq or of a stable and improving economy in Iraq, both of which are essential to "promote the emergence of a democratic government";

Whereas additional stabilization in Iraq by U, S. military forces cannot be achieved without the deployment of hundreds of thousands of additional U S. troops, which in turn cannot be achieved without a military draft;

Whereas more than $277 billion has been appropriated by the United States Congress to prosecute U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan;

Whereas, as of the drafting of this resolution, 2,079 U.S. troops have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom;

Whereas U.S. forces have become the target of the insurgency,

Whereas, according to recent polls, over 80% of the Iraqi people want U.S. forces out of Iraq;

Whereas polls also indicate that 45% of the Iraqi people feel that the attacks on U.S. forces are justified;

Whereas, Due to the foregoing, Congress finds it evident that continuing U.S. military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the people of Iraq, or the Persian Gulf Region, which were cited in Public Law 107-243 as justification for undertaking such action;

Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That:

Section 1. The deployment of United States forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date.

Section 2. A quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S Marines shall be deployed in the region.

Section 3 The United States of America shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.

The sham resolution introduced by the Republican majority to avoid debate on the Murtha resolution,

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.

Following are a few notable video excerpts of the rancorous session. Tom Lantos (D-CA) tries to clarify whether they are debating the Murtha or sham Republican resolution after Steven Buyer (R-IN) spoke of Murtha's resolution. The Speaker said it was "a matter of debate". Pandemonium. Buyer recants and apologizes.

Jean Schmitt (R-OH) calls Murtha a coward, uproar ensues. Schmitt withdraws her disgusting statement.

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) lets loose.

The sham Republican resolution was defeated 400-3. Bush fired back at Murtha's resolution earlier today,

So long as I am Commander-in-Chief, our strategy in Iraq will be driven by the sober judgment of our military commanders on the ground ... So we will fight the terrorists in Iraq, and we will stay in the fight until we have achieved the victory our brave troops have fought and bled for.

Just minutes later, CNN breaks a story that the top commander in Iraq has submitted a plan for withdrawal,

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The top U.S. commander in Iraq has submitted a plan to the Pentagon for withdrawing troops in Iraq, according to a senior defense official.

Gen. George Casey submitted the plan to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It includes numerous options and recommends that brigades -- usually made up of about 2,000 soldiers each -- begin pulling out of Iraq early next year.

Ha ha ... classic.

If you didn't watch the video clips linked to above, you can get a hint of the uproarious session from this New York Times or Washington Post article.

// posted by Erik @ 11/18/2005 10:39:00 PM
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