Withdrawal resolution picks up support

August 19, 2005

A month ago, The Hill reported that a House resolution that calls on the president to develop and implement an exit strategy for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq had picked up its 29th co-sponsor. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, a conservative Maryland Republican and decorated Vietnam veteran, joined the diverse group of resolution supporters, including liberals like Dennis Kucinich and Neil Abercrombie, and conservatives like Walter Jones and Ron Paul.

Now, despite the fact that Congress is away from DC in August, the resolution continues to generate even more support.

Congressman Walter Jones said Thursday he has about 50 co-sponsors on a joint resolution that calls on President Bush to announce by year’s end a plan for withdrawal from Iraq.

The resolution introduced in June by Jones, another Republican and two Democrats calls on the president to begin executing the withdrawal by Oct. 1, 2006. It does not set an end date.

Jones said the new supporters include five Republicans.

I have to say, it’s nice to see some bi-partisanship here. There are now two senators urging withdrawal — a liberal (Feingold) and a conservative (Hagel) — and there are now 50 House members from both parties saying the same thing.

The public is already on board with withdrawal and, slowly but surely, Congress is coming to the same conclusion. Maybe Bush will follow the Department of Homeland Security model and announce a withdrawal plan, saying it was his idea all along and blaming Dems for not saying something sooner? Yeah, I kind of doubt it, too.

In all the time I’ve lived in Maryland/DC/Virginia or worked for the USDA, this is the first time I’ve ever heard Wayne Gilchrest refered to as a conservative Maryland Republican.

  • …joint resolution that calls on President Bush to announce by year’s end a plan for withdrawal from Iraq.

    A withdrawal planned by this crop of incompetents would probably produce way more casualties than necessary. You know the WH and the Pentagon would, first and foremost, attempt some kind of political jujitsu which had the added benefit of a ‘Mission Accomplished” moment.

    The Armed Forces and the American people have been so totally ill served by the current Pentagon High Command, it’s nearly criminal. I don’t think General Shinseki had any more knowledge about military strategy than General Tommy Thompson, or General Myers, yet, here we are in the catastrophic success of the Bush Doctrine.

    A resolution for a planned withdrawal should also include a pink slip for Rumsfeld, and interdiction for Halliburton(Cheney) and a new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

  • How about a plan to start winning this war?

    It’s a dilemma. Our presence incites violence and makes things worse in Iraq, we can’t create governments through overwhelming force, we can’t “force peace”, and really, the best strategy for protecting our soldiers is bringing them back home. But if we leave before a strong, representative government is able to provide security for the country (as if we were doing a fantastic job of that now), we risk leaving the country in a lot worse shape as a result of Bush’s little war. Our reputation is tarnished even more, and terrorists and theocrats have a field day with Iraq, and the Iraqi people are just oppressed and impoverished even more.

    What to do?

  • “A resolution for a planned withdrawal should also include a pink slip for Rumsfeld, and interdiction for Halliburton(Cheney) and a new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.”

    bcinaz, I think you meant to type “indictment for halliburton (Cheney)” instead of “interdiction.” These bastards all need to go to prison for war crimes and illegal war profiteering, and Cheney qualifies on both counts!!

  • Although, interdiction sets a nice tone as well. Forbid Halli-Bushton from doing business in Iraq; getting contracts, etc.

  • How about a plan to start winning this war?

    There is no war to win, and there is no winning in Iraq. Move the mirror just a tad to the left, and you will be able to see that more clearly.

  • Analytical Liberal, no, I did mean an interdiction of Halliburton (Cheney). As much as anyone, I wish to see everyone involved in creating the FUBAR in Iraq indicted and convicted. However, my hope is that they will all face criminal prosecution under the next administration, where there is a 50-50 chance of NO pardons.

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