House Says No To Troop Build Up
On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed (246-182) a non-binding resolution opposing additional troops in Iraq. The vote was suprisingly partisan: only 17 Republicans voted for the resolution; only two Democrats voted against it.
Attention now turns to the Senate, where Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) plans to force a Senate vote on Saturday. His hand may be weakened by the House vote, which suggests Republicans are toeing the party line more closely than pundits anticipated.
What seems clear to me is that legislators do not seem to be listening to voters nor the President to external advisers. Editor & Publisher says 61% of us oppose the troop surge and 56% want a "quick pullout." Is it very likely that all those Republican congressmen have districts where 100% of their voters approve the expansion - and 100% of the Demcratic districts oppose it? No.
Then there's the Iraq Study Group, which cautioned against troop expansion.
World, Iraqi Opinion Against Us, Too
In January, three-quarters of those polled by the BBC did not approve of how the US has handled Iraq; this poll covered 26,000 people in 25 countries and half believe that "the US is playing a mainly negative role in the world."
In September, more than two-thirds of Iraqis polled wanted the US to commit to troop pull out within the year -- seven months from now.
It's clear to me that Congress is in the proverbial spot that's between "a rock and a hard place." Democrats have been in control for only a month and have made little progress on Iraq. A reasonable person might point out that we've had almost four years to dig this hole and it's going to take time to figure out how to claw our way out of it. An impatient voter is not likely to hold to reason: leaders, be warned, Americans seem to value action over reflection.
The Vote
Republicans voting for the resolution:
Castle, Coble, Davis (Tom),
Duncan, English (PA), Gilchrest, Inglis (SC), Johnson (IL), Jones (NC), Keller, Kirk, LaTourette, Petri, Ramstad, Upton, Walsh (NY).
Democrats voting against the resolution: Marshall, Taylor.
Not voting:
Baird (D), Boustany (R), Davis (Jo Ann - R),
Hastert (R), LoBiondo (R), Nadler (D)
Also see Iraq War Vote in Congress is Healthy, Historic & Reveals the Cowardly, by US Liberals Guide Deborah White
Originally posted at 12.45 pm Pacific
See comments on the prior post: Senate Calls Weekend Session On Iraq