The coffee is prepared in such a way that it makes those who drink it witty: at least there is not a single soul who, on quitting the house, does not believe himself four times wittier that when he entered it. ~ Charles de Secondat Montesquieu
There are two stories out this morning that are sadly ironic in their stark opposition to one another.
A resolution criticizing President Bush for his decision to send more troops to Iraq is expected to pass the House in a rare admonishment of a wartime commander-in-chief.
Democrats who wrote the nonbinding measure and back it with near unanimity were clear that it would set the stage for more decisive steps to constrain Bush’s warmaking powers. They proposed ideas to put legislative strings on future funding in Iraq and prevent any pre-emptive invasion of Iran.
“The time has passed for accepting this administration’s assurances at face value. The human cost of its repeated assurances is too great,” Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., said Friday at the opening of the fourth and final day of debate.
The anxiously awaited vote was expected by Friday afternoon. The Senate is meeting Saturday for a test vote on the same resolution.
The number of Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad’s sectarian violence fell drastically overnight, an Iraqi military official said Friday, crediting the joint U.S.-Iraqi security operation that began in force just days ago.
Iraqi army Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, a spokesman for the Baghdad commander, said only 10 bodies had been reported by the morgue in the capital, compared to an average of 40 to 50 per day.
“This shows a big reduction in terror and killing operations in Baghdad,” he said on Iraqi state television.
The surrender monkeys on the left will be having all sorts of hissy fits if there is any indication that operations are succeding. It flies in the face of their “it’s unwinable” theme. And while there are those on the right who have caved under the pressure of political expediency, others are still standing strong.
In a speech Thursday, Bush said he expects Congress to live up to its promise to support the troops.
“We have a responsibility, Republicans and Democrats have a responsibility to give our troops the resources they need to do their job and the flexibility they need to prevail,” Bush said.
In the third day of a House debate on the war, GOP combat veterans spoke out against the Democratic resolution.
“The enemy wants our men and women in uniform to think their Congress doesn’t care about them,” said Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who was a prisoner of war during Vietnam. “We must learn from our mistakes. We cannot leave a job undone like we left in Korea, like we left in Vietnam, like we left in Somalia,” Johnson said.
Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, called the political maneuvering by Democrats “extremely dangerous.”
“It could stop reinforcements from arriving in time to stop major casualties in any of a number of scenarios,” said Hunter.
Democrats will have to fight critics in the Senate as well.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure the House resolution dies an inglorious death in the Senate,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
As it should, Sen. Graham. As it should.
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