The Iraq Debate
Both Democrats and Republicans want a debate. We did not have a debate before we got into the Iraq War. Now that nothing in Iraq is going right everbody wants a debate. So Senator Warner, a Republican, and Senator Levin, a Democrat, start the debate with a resolution against Bush's "surge." The debate starts and is abruptly ended by Republicans. Amazingly, Senator Warner, voted to end the debate he wanted to start.
Some Republicans say that such non-binding resolutions embolden our enemies. In a speech in the senate, Senator Levin disagrees:
What emboldens the enemy is the almost 4 years' presence of Western troops in the middle of a Muslim country's capital, which causes over 70 percent of the residents of that country to oppose our presence.
What emboldens the enemy is the open-ended presence of Western troops, which serves as a magnet for extremists and gives a propaganda club to our enemies.
What emboldens the enemy is invading Iraq without the support of the international community.
What emboldens the enemy is lawlessness and looters ransacking public buildings and institutions in Iraq.
What emboldens the enemy is invading Iraq without a plan for the aftermath of the invasion.
What emboldens the enemy is increasing the number of American troops, which results in Iraqis taking less responsibility for providing security for all the citizens of Iraq.
What emboldens the enemy is the creation of Green Zones protecting Iraqi political leaders, in which they pursue a winner-take-all political approach.
Will we have the debate? Of course we will. Senators are seeking other ways. If Republicans do not want to vote on a nonbinding resolution, they will have a chance to vote on binding legislation. A bill offered by Senator Barack Obama offers the following:
- De-escalates the War with Phased Redeployment
- Enforces Tough Benchmarks for Progress
- Congressional oversight: Requires the President to submit reports to Congress every 90 days
- Intensified Training
- Regional Diplomacy
The diplomacy consists of launching a comprehensive regional and international diplomatic initiative - that includes key nations in the region - to help achieve a political settlement among the Iraqi people, end the civil war in Iraq, and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and regional conflict. The bill recommends that within 60 days the president should appoint a Special Envoy for Iraq to carry out this diplomacy.
The bill also mandates that the president submit a plan to prevent the war in Iraq from becoming a wider regional conflict.
Not bad for someone being derided by Republicans as standing for nothing. Obama was against the Iraq War from the beginning. And now he is acting on what he believes - and what 70% of the people of America believe: The Iraq War was a great blunder and we should get out of it as soon as possible while encouraging diplomacy to calm tensions in the Middle East.
Will Republicans debate the Iraq War? Or will they stall again? Whether they stall or not, they will be faced with other opportunities in the future to debate the Iraq War. It's a sure thing. Why not join the debate now?
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