The resolution House Republicans didn’t want to see

February 12, 2007

For all the wrangling in the Senate over how many anti-escalation resolutions lawmakers will consider, how they’ll be worded, and when senators might debate them, the House is taking a far more direct approach.

As the House this week launches its first major debate over the Iraq war since the November elections, Democrats are counting on many Republicans to join them in passing a resolution opposing President Bush’s troop buildup.

Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, a Maryland Republican, predicts that 30 to 60 of his colleagues will back the nonbinding resolution, which would be the strongest repudiation of Bush’s Iraq policy from Republicans since the war began nearly four years ago.

Opponents of the troop increase include Republicans who, until now, have stood with the president. Amid continuing turmoil in Baghdad and rising casualty figures, anxiety about the White House strategy in Iraq has been building among GOP lawmakers, and many of them blame it for their party’s loss of control of Congress.

“Many of us have just watched this thing unfold and see nothing changing,” said Gilchrest, whose largely rural district has lost 23 service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. “You face the families and you have to have something to tell them.”

Indeed. House Dems aren’t allowing House Republicans to tie the chamber up with competing resolutions and procedural games, which led to the Senate’s embarrassment last week, but the majority will set aside five minutes for each of the chamber’s 435 members to address the policy.

One House Republican close to the GOP leadership told the WaPo, “This next week is going to be a very tough one for us to get through. The Democrats know that.”

Given the broader dynamic, this is exactly why being in the majority is so important.

For one thing, the resolution isn’t the Dems measure; it’s a bi-partisan resolution co-sponsored by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), a conservative Republican and member of the Armed Services Committee.

For another, the House measure is surprisingly simple and straightforward. Here’s the exact text:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq .

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That—

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

A vote is expected Friday. The resolution will pass; the only question is by what margin and with how many GOP votes. If 60 Republicans break ranks, it will be a humiliating defeat for the White House, and will pressure the Senate that much more to pass a resolution of its own.

House Dems aren’t allowing House Republicans to tie the chamber up with competing resolutions and procedural games, which led to the Senate’s embarrassment last week, but the majority will set aside five minutes for each of the chamber’s 435 members to address the policy.
*************************

So why can’t the Senate do this as well? And how much do you want to bet that bu$$hCo will come up w/ ways to deter rank breaking? It is funny to watch the Re-thug-liers, as has been noted before, say that a non-binding res is meaningless and irrelevent, and also watch them sweat bullets as they perform poitical gymnastics to try and stop even the Democratic process of debate. All one has to do is watch these Democracy-haters and let their actions do the talking for them.

Side note: If you have Dishnetwork, check out FSTV and LINK tv. Both had stinging indictments and hours long specials on the bu$$h admin, 9/11, the Iraq war, and media consolidation. They are independent news outlets and can use all the support they can get, esp given the billionaire corporations that they are up against.

  • You can bet that the White House will be out there bending the arms of GOP representatives. It’s no longer about the surge, it’s about increasing the cacaphony of the noise machine and the demonization of Iran. See, we ain’t gonna be able to bomb ’em if we let the lib’ruls win.

    The neo-con agenda must be maintained at all costs.

  • Bottom line, they are still non-binding resolutions… Let’s assume they pass… then what????

  • JRS Jr. – The first step of any 12 step program is to admit you have a problem. The resolution is the public admission that we have a problem. Steps taken after the watershed admission can then take more concrete actions.

    The Republican minority in the House must also realize it is acceptable to disagree with another member of the party. This nation does not serve at the pleasure of its leaders, it should be the other way around.

  • It’s about time. Bush announced the “surge” more than a month ago — and we all knew what was coming long before that. Now, it’s underway and he’s is closing in on Iran. When he gets his mind set, he moves fast and it takes a brick wall to stop him, which the resolution certainly is not. Congress better get with it.

    Still, anything that serves to isolate Bush and his sick-o-phants and force them to face up to the will of the majority is a good thing.

  • The Repub strategy as stated at least 8 times by John Boehner on MTP yesterday is to force the DEMS to have an “up or down” vote on defunding the the War..by doing so they only hope to paint DEMS as anti-troop for the 2008 election…this strategy in NO way addresses the current situation in Iraq

    Repubs know Iraq is a loser for them so the only real interest they have in respects to the Iraq War is to exploit it for political gain…yeah big shock there

  • What beep52 said.

    BushCo knows that if a war with Iran gets going (manufactured or not) there will be a large number of people who will once again give the Chimperor another benefit of the doubt. He will run out the clock using that reprieve, and then dump the whole mess into the laps of the Democrats.

    The Dems should move to impeach the whole criminal organization immediately, and thus cut off any attempts to distract the polulace with another war.

  • “Steps taken after the watershed admission can then take more concrete actions.”

    Meaning…????

  • You need to read what “Tom Dispatch” posted today about how the surge is already well on the path to failure. And a real mess No wonder Iran — further distraction — seems so attractive to the administration.

  • Meaning that a veto-proof consensus needs to built with small steps like these resolutions. What makes you think any steps taken by Congress won’t be countermanded by a signing statement from Bush saying “Thanks for the input, but I don’t feel like listening to it.”

    We have a rogue administration in the White House and until we can build the numbers necessary to potentially push forth with an impeachment for not executing the laws passed by Congress, anything passed on Capitol Hill lacks any real force. Members of the Republican Party have to vote their own conscience and not the party line. Getting them to even vote against the president for the first time will be a big step in countering the Imperial Presidency.

  • Defunding the mess in Vietnam was the only way to end it. It appears the same will have to occur in order to force an end to the Bush/Cheney/Republican war in Iraq. Let the disingenuous, craven Republicans cry “anti-troop” all they want. Remember the election of 2006! A solid majority of Americans want this thing to end! We don’t give a damn about rewarding the Bush/Cheney military-industrial cabal with more cash and cannon fodder! Enough is enough!

    When we are out of Iraq we can begin to defund the military in general. This nation pours an absolutely obscene amount of our hard-earned money down the Dept. of Defense rathole.

    • Comments are closed.