Rep. Pelosi responds to boos on war

[133724]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) yesterday reaffirmed her commitment to end the war in Iraq, but her words were greeted with skepticism and some boos by anti-war liberal activists.

Addressing the liberal pressure group Campaign for America’s Future, Pelosi called the war in Iraq a “tragedy” and a “grotesque mistake,” but her words elicited catcalls for her to do more.

Pelosi acknowledged the protesters and even challenged them.

...

At the end of her remarks, she said, “Instead of fighting with us, which is your right to do, let’s work together.”

The Democratic-led Congress has taken a pounding in recent opinion polls, with many Democratic voters unhappy that lawmakers have not been able to change President Bush’s policies in Iraq. Noting that Bush vetoed legislation setting a timeline for withdrawal last month, Pelosi explained to the audience why the Democrats cannot enact stringent benchmarks or set a date to begin withdrawing U.S. troops.

“We don’t have 60 votes in the Senate or the president’s signature … those are facts and obstacles,” Pelosi said.

“Those are facts, those are obstacles; we have to overcome them and we cannot wait until November 2008 to do so,” she added. “Your impatience with the war is totally justified.”

But she did not offer details about how House Democrats might use the 2008 House defense appropriations bill to force Bush’s hand to end the U.S. commitment to Iraq. Some Democrats have discussed two measures, introduced by Reps. David Price (D-N.C.) and Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), respectively, which would revoke Bush’s authority to wage war in Iraq.

Even Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a leading anti-war Democrat and close Pelosi ally, did not escape the taunting as he introduced Pelosi.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/rep.-pelosi-responds-to-boos-on-war-2007-06-21.html

[ronnykmarshall]

1. Pelosi's right

and I'm glad that she responded. AND I'm glad the people are letting her know they are pissed.

[ShortnFiery]

3. Pelosi's gutless

and it shows. :thumbsdown:

Pelosi and Reid need to wake the hell up and figure out that a 23% approval rating for Congress means that it's time for them to find their spine. :grr:

[HughBeaumont]

7. leftofthedial said something that made me think:

It's not cowardice, but collusion?

[Seedersandleechers]

8. She has some flaws

but gutless? How hateful!

[Captain Hilts]

15. But the people haven't given them a good, working majority in either house.

Hell, this morning Republicans were able to prevent taxes on oil companies. Do you really think the votes are there for impeachment?

[AntiFascist]

22. Therein lies the problem...

the Oil Lobby has control of Congress, and the People are beginning to notice.

[Zhade]

24. They sure tried - were it not for the documented vote theft, we'd have a bigger majority.

And votes or not, the attempt is required. They swore to uphold the Constitution; they are not.

[wildhorses]

2. we did our job -- we voted. n/t

[AndyA]

4. Let's not forget about Hillary Clinton's bill to rescind the permission Congress

granted to * to take military action.

I'm thrilled that Pelosi is getting the message that the American people are not happy. Hopefully, she understands the Democrats in Congress will also suffer the consequences if they don't do something about it...quickly.

[rodeodance]

19. Why hasn't the Senate brought it up for a vote?

[HughBeaumont]

5. Well, Nance, you might want to start by . . oh, I don't know, NOT giving the Fuhrer a blank check.

And keep NOT giving him a blank check. Let the Failure Fuhrer know this isn't 2003 anymore.

You're giving him OUR money to kill OUR soldiers and their innocent citizens.

All to appease a failure run by a failure.

COME on.

[hippiechick]

6. "We don’t have 60 votes ... or the president’s signature "

... then send the same damn document back to him over and over and over until he gets the message.

Don't cave in and write him a freakin' blank check, just because he thumbed his coke-nose at you once! Jeeeeez!! :spank:

[TechBear_Seattle]

9. A "tragedy" and a "grotesque mistake" that she keeps perpetuating

As long as Congress continues to give in on funding the war, as long as Congress holds meaningless hearings and issues toothless requests, as long as Congress refuses to hold Bush, Cheney and the other leaders of the Junta responsible for their crimes, then the "tragedy" and "grotesque mistake" will continue. And Pelosi, as Speaker of the House of Representatives and third most powerful person in the United States, must bear responsibility for this continuation.

[cliss]

25. Very good point.

It's really difficult to complain, when they are aiding & abetting this "grotesque mistake".

[blogslut]

10. "pressure groups"? "catcalls"?

Uh huh.

[theoldman]

11. Would all of you critics of Pelosi rather have Hastert?

[BlueStater]

12. We'd rather she do the job she was elected to do

And cowering under that little turd in the White House wasn't it.

[Robbien]

13. You don't need sixty votes and you know it. Just don't bring up the bill for a vote

You are the majority Pelosi

Act like it!

[Captain Hilts]

16. Being in the majority isn't enough. nt

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

14. We need to keep telling them what we want.

Don't stop asking. Get off the internet, pick up the phone and talk to the reps office staff. It works! Takes up their time and the message gets to the reps. The more often you do this and the more people do this the better the results.

[rodeodance]

17. We can help by hitting on the Repugs who are up for re-election!! Hit hard

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

18. She said something wrong? Is this another one of those posts MURDERING the best,...

,...that individuals can give while simultaneously FORGETTING WHO IS MURDERING THIS COUNTRY?

Well,...screw that.

I'm not excusing jack-shit. Political expediency makes me fucking SICK!!!

BUT, IMAGINE,...

,...well,...

Damnit! It is TOUGH TIMES! The Democrats ARE NOT IN CONTROL, contrary to popular belief.

HOWEVER, the Democrats ARE in a position to take a stand on our behalf. What Pelosi says IS TRUE: they can NOT WIN on ANYTHING they'd like to because of their lack of 'majority' and the RW attack machine will say the D party is a failure when the RW caused that failure.

Frankly, I must say, the Democratic Party, if it is as it says it is (e.g. a party for the people, with integrity), better be prepared to sacrifice themselves to be what they say they are: a party for the people.

PULL OUT THE COURAGE, TAKE A STAND, DO NOT RELENT (ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE ASSHOLES WHO DO NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THIS COUNTRY), AND BE THE WARRIORS FOR OUR COUNTRY!!!!

[ShortnFiery]

21. The problem is that our 23% Congress is ALWAYS campaigning for the next election.

I'm disgusted and so are the vast majority of Americans, both R and D.

No, it's time for us to either vote these bums out, or see them take some morally courageous stands. This isn't a f**king fraternity, ... dammit! :(

[rodeodance]

20. “We raised the bar too high. [The public] thought we could continue to send the bill back to the pre

She’s worked tirelessly to end” this war, Murtha said.

“No she hasn’t,” shouted a woman in the crowd.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) acknowledged the same political landscape last week.

“We raised the bar too high. thought we could continue to send the bill back to the president — with 49 votes, we couldn’t do that,” he said.

Reid announced last week that there would be votes on amendments to the defense spending bill that would withdraw troops within 120 days of passage, set strong troop readiness standards, and block spending on a future military presence in Iraq after April 2008.

[Zhade]

23. I'm tired of you lying to us, Nancy.

Fact: there was NO requirement that a funding bill be sent to b*s* - AT ALL.

Fact: making it harder for him to pay for the war would force him to 1) end it or 2) steal the money from elsewhere, which would be yet another criminal act.

Fact: holding criminals like this administration accountable is not optional. It is your sworn duty. Clearly, your oaths mean nothing, and you cannot be trusted to fulfill them.

Fact: the war was not a mistake, it was a crime. Stop pretending otherwise.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. Don't vote to fund the goddam war.