In a year filled with embarrassing, often shameful, congressional theatrics, last Friday’s “debate” on withdrawal from Iraq was among the more disturbing. Apparently, we may see a repeat soon.
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) called for a redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, prompting the GOP to pull a little stunt. House Republicans unveiled a one-sentence mischaracterization of Murtha’s position, apparently to set a trap for House Democrats — vote against Murtha or for withdrawal. It was a cynical stunt, Democrats saw through it easily, and the entire fiasco produced little more than news accounts about Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) calling Murtha a “coward.”
The odd thing is that those same House Republicans seem to look at the debacle as a success. Indeed, they seem almost anxious to do the whole thing all over again.
The Republican who initiated last week’s overwhelming House vote to keep U.S. troops in Iraq said he will do it again if Democrats don’t cease their calls for withdrawal.
“If they start this again, we’ll call the vote again,” said Rep. J.D. Hayworth, Arizona Republican, whom members credited with suggesting holding a vote. “As far as I’m concerned, if they haven’t learned from this, if they go back to this cheap talk, I would be more than happy to call for another vote.”
It’s as if House Republicans will do anything to avoid a substantive debate over the future of the war, even if that means repeating the same petty partisan games over and over again. Shameless.