Thursday, April 26, 2007

Iraq Takes Center Stage Once Again

To most people, CSPAN is this place where an unblinking camera eye focuses on the events in Washington calmly. A soft voice over announces the events of the day while this unfettered view of governmental events is sprinkled with calls from citizens all over the country.

And then, there are days like this one in which watching CSPAN is akin to viewing the "Friday Night Fights". The bill of contention calls attention toward changing the Iraq War policy. And believe you me. The talk expressed today did not strive to put anyone asleep. There were strong words to be had on both sides of the aisle. And from the various arguments, one could see the emotional sides of the debate streaming through in terms of what to do with this conflict overseas.

There were several speeches standing out during today's proceedings about the Additional 2007 Spending Conference Report. And from what was viewed, both sides were not happy. Not in the least.

Rep. James Moran (D.-Va) had some sharp words that echoed some of the sentiments against what happened in terms of the dealings in Iraq. He did not stand idly by. Calling the government "corrupt", he found it ironic that for a White House allegedly declaring that Iraq was a lot safer in the past, not one dignitary ventured out of the highly touted "green zone" (supposedly the safest part of the country). He tersely called into question the government's priorities when it came to the soldiers, especially those killed or injured. His words especially reminded one of the deplorable conditions in the Walter Reed Center, where the living casualties from the conflict dealt with moldy walls and shoddy treatment.

However, the Republicans did not stay silent after stinging commentary. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R.-Ga), felt that these latest arguments from the Dems stemmed from special interests. Of course, it did not escape him to mention the insinuation that "Moveon.Org and other liberal organizations" had a hand in pushing this legislation. Of course, one forgets the special interest groups that helped push Republican legislation over the past six years, but we've got to forget that. Now, he allegedly felt that there was a reason behind this and a "liberal conspiracy" was not far behind. Unfortunately, he connected this with the same diatribe of Democrats not "giving victory a chance". One could tell that this was yet another criticism of Sen. Harry Reid's (D.-Nev.)words that this was an unwinnable war.

Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D.-Tx) could not let that pass with yet another glowing moment in the talks that were held today. She announced that there was "no white flag on this side of the aisle". She clearly explained the issues in the bill being pushed in Congress. It was to put a check on the President and it also put money towards veterans hospitals, especially those which dealt with traumatic brain injuries. She also did not sit down before thanking those who served, especially the nine soldiers who lost their lives earlier this month.

The other notable comment came from Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D.-Ill). Always outspoken and to the point, he called the Iraq war policy, "the worst national security crisis". He also added that there was "no real plan for success" there. His statements hit it all home because he alluded to the White House and the Republicans always asking and doing the same thing without any change in the circumstances in the Middle East. He alone called it out in terms of disastrous actions that will have terrible repercussions for years to come.

What to make of this?

Read this from the Baltimore Sun:

Defiant and unified last night in the face of a promised presidential veto, House Democrats pushed through an emergency war spending bill that orders President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq by this fall.

The 218-208 vote, largely along party lines, is expected to be followed today by Senate approval of the same measure.

The president has promised to veto the bill early next week.

The $124 billion measure funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of the year and provides billions for veterans' health care and other nonmilitary programs.

Missing the suspense of congressional war debates earlier this year, yesterday's vote is merely one act in a largely scripted political drama unfolding in Washington as congressional Democrats intent on challenging the president push ahead with a bill they know will never become law.


The punchline to the entire thing has to do with accountability. In the past, the current Administration has participated in their actions afforded to the Iraq War while deflecting any sort of criticism that calls into question the ethics and the truth behind this conflict. The sad thing is that without taking any sort of responsibility, what you get is nothing but a fettered mess in which more people are dying daily without any sort of true empathy about their passing at the hands of battle.

What you get is a lot of questions without any depth of answer from the current Administration. And if the Democrats and others do not investigate the reasons behind the conflict, who will?

The Dems need to stick to their guns despite the veto. The people need to know the reasons behind why we're over there. And most importantly, we must take care of our men and women overseas while showing concern for the civilians caught in the crossfire. There are no boundaries in war. Instead, what happens is that all sides are affected desperately. And without any insight to the policy, casualties and propaganda are all we get.

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