davidswanson (881 posts) Fri Jun-27-08 12:14 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3530443
I Hate to Say We Saw It Coming, But
Advertisements [?]By David Swanson
I posted the following on TomDispatch at the start of the current (and last?) Congress:
Can Congress End the War?
Democratic Leaders May Prefer to Claim They Tried But Failed
By David Swanson
The shortest route to ending the Iraq war (and preventing additional wars) is almost certainly through Congress. Influencing the White House directly is unimaginable, and stopping the war through the courts unlikely. Clearly, Congress is the way to go. But what specifically can Congress do?
...
midnight (1000+ posts) Fri Jun-27-08 12:45 PM
Response to Original message
1. This is probably why Elizabeth Edwards is calling this
presidential election a close one. We should be winning this Presidential Election in a land slide.
hendo (808 posts) Fri Jun-27-08 01:22 PM
Response to Original message
2. Prolonging the war is good for the democrats
If the war were to end tomorrow, they would instantly lose an issue to campaign on. If they cut funding they will instantly be labeled as the party that wants our troops to serve without body armor, or without bullets.
However, I will be interested to see if Obama actually lives up to his promise of phasing out the troops. Nixon ran under the promise that he would bring the troops back from Vietnam, that didn't happen until Ford ordered a withdrawal in 1975. It is one thing to oppose a war and another to actually end it when you become the president in power.
Will Iraq last as long as Vietnam? I sure hope not, but I'm still not sure that a withdrawal will really be ordered once Obama becomes president; and there is a 99% chance they they will not be should McCain pull an upset.
electropop (1000+ posts) Fri Jun-27-08 02:50 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. That's Emmanuel's thinking, and it's just not logical.
By making themselves part of the system that is prolonging the war, Dems take the biggest weapon they have against the Pukes, and aim it at themselves. People (i.e., me) are furious at Dems for taking a clear mandate to end the war after the 2006 election, and telling us to shove it up our asses.
defendandprotect (1000+ posts) Fri Jun-27-08 03:51 PM
Response to Original message
6. Signing Statements alone --- should bring impeachment . . . !!!
Edited on Fri Jun-27-08 03:52 PM by defendandprotect
There is no constitutional middle course. Yet Bush has routinely used signing statements to announce his plans to disregard portions of bills he signs into law. This abuse might be addressed by impeachment proceedings, something the Democrats are not currently considering. But short of addressing this abuse, Congress Members could at least behave as though they were aware of it.
And I think that ALL of the issues that should be impeachable and properly responded to by
our Democratic Congress are being "ignored" ---
We can't replace all of them in one go --- so someone better figure out how to put some FIRE
under their seats --- !!!
KoKo01 (1000+ posts) Fri Jun-27-08 09:44 PM
Response to Original message
9. Thanks! There's enough on Cheney to start Impeachment to uncover
the full truths about what he was doing since he "appointed himself as VP." Starting with his "Energy Hearings that favored only Enron and it's supporters that he still refuses to offer the info Congress has requested and that's before any of the other "power grabs and manipulations" he was involved in during "9/11" and leading up to Iraq Invasion.
Congress and the DC "Bubble Folks" want to protect George II because the Bush "family name" must be protected at all costs because the unraveling of what they've done and their Grandpa's and Great Grandpa's have been involved with would unravel part of our "great American History of Capitalism."
So ...no one wants to touch the Bush Family. But...Cheney was a nobody even though he and his wife ingratiated themselves into the RW and the Neo-Cons and "fake" Constitutionalists who were looking for their final "power grab." Leave Bush as the "innocent" and get Cheney on oath about all his dealings and make him the fall guy... The public will eventually find out that what Cheney did lead to Bush and either through incompetence or malevolence Bush was a willing co-conspirator. It may take years to get Bush to the Hague...but Cheney could be impeached right now to get to the bottom of the corruption that's gone on since he was a Senator and beyond.
I doubt they will do it...but it would be a way for them to leave the imbicile Bush alone while they get to the facts about how our country disintegrated under this team's watch.
whistle (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-29-08 10:27 PM
Response to Original message
15. From the film "Patton" 1970
Patton: Men, all this stuff you've heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans traditionally love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost, and will never lose a war... because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.