Obama Bill Sets Date For Troop Withdrawal

[Larry Allen]

Obama's legislation, offered on the Senate floor last night, would remove all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013001586_pf.html

Thats great Barack, you only have to kill 1000 more GIs and 150,000 more Iraqis to fit in with your political schedule. I must be too much of an idealist. I thought for sure you would have the courage to support H.R. 508.

Still, this is the best we've heard from the United States Senate.

[blm]

1. No it isn't. Best we ever heard from Senate was June 2006 Iraq withdrawal plan

submitted by Kerry-Feingold with troops out by July 2007, stepped up diplomacy - full press summit, input from Iraq's neighbors, and stepped up training for Iraqis. Obama joined most other Democrats who wouldn't acknowledge that Iraq had been in civil war for 6 months at the time of the vote. They voted no. 13 Dem senators voted FOR the withdrawal plan then.

[Larry Allen]

4. I stand corrected,

I stand corrected, then. Who were the Senators that voted for the Kerry-Feingold plan? Is Senator Obama's plan the best we have currently (in the Senate) ?

[blm]

Here's the list

I also believe both Kerry and Feingold will again submit withdrawal plans very soon, and that they will stay true to their commitment to make withdrawal happen sooner and safer rather than later and at great cost to the troops.


U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 2nd Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary
Question: On the Amendment (Kerry Amdt. No. 4442 )
Vote Number: 181 Vote Date: June 22, 2006, 11:07 AM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Amendment Rejected
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 4442 to S. 2766
Statement of Purpose: To require the redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq in order to further a political solution in Iraq, encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security, and achieve victory in the war on terror.
Vote Counts: YEAs 13
NAYs 86
Not Voting 1
Vote Summary By Senator Name By Vote Position By Home State

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---13
Akaka (D-HI)
Boxer (D-CA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Wyden (D-OR)

[saltpoint]

2. So far my posts re Obama have been in praise of his keynote

address at the Boston convention in 2004.

I'm following the already-white-hot rivalry between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama.

These two are going to be formidable.

I think the tendency in the press is to discount Obama as a "rock star," someone of more charisma than substance, is a mistake. If an unfamous editor of the HARVARD LAW REVIEW was introduced to me, I would by god listen to what he or she had to say.

If Obama is in this campaign to stay, he's going to be a very sturdy contender.

[harveyc]

3. Agreed ...

a 100 times better than nonbinding resolutions, but still falls way short on saving our soldiers lives.

[allskinners]

5. Clark's been calling for

more drastic measures including (gasp!) DIPLOMACY for much longer than Obama. Good on him for putting this out there, but it's not the first dem voice for drastic change.

[Larry Allen]

6. Most of what Clark says is good.

But you can't influence the Bush administrations conduct of the war or diplomacy merely by saying so. Supposedly we would have to wait until 1/09 when Clark takes office. Then it would take a couple of years for the Clark strategy to work. He also seems to envision us deeply involved in the politics of Baghdad.

We have a window of opportunity bracketed by the Iraq war appropriations bill. Could you convince your candidate to support H.R. 508 because of the lives that would be saved?

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-508

It strikes me as an excellent piece of legislation, and would get us out long before the 08 elections.

Incidentally, from the WAPO article, "New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is the only other prominent Democrat in the field to set a withdrawal timetable, declaring that troops "can and should" be brought home by the end of 2007." Apparently Washington Post Staff Writer Shailagh Murray doesn't consider Dennis Kucinich a prominent Democrat. Kucinich is co-sponser of H.R. 508 which would complete withdrawal within six months of passage.

[cgrindley]

7. He's not a particularly courageous or opinionated politician

and for once, that's a good thing. If Obama got elected and did absolutely nothing for the next 4 years, he'd deserve a god damn parade. People should remember the excellent exampel of Jean Chretien, who basically did nothing at all from 1993 to 2003. The states desperately needs someone to do nothing for a while.

[goodhue]

8. I like Obama but withdrawal by March 2008 is hardly the best we've heard from senate

Feingold's bill requires withdrawal within six months of enactment.

[Larry Allen]

9. good

I hope Feingolds bill matches Woolsey's. Then we will have two legs to stand on.