Webb Plan To Give Troops Greater Time At Home Close To Passage

The New York Times:

Now that President Bush and General David H. Petraeus have charted their course for the Iraq war, Democrats in the Senate say one of their proposals aimed at shifting the president's strategy is finally close to winning enough Republican support for a real chance at being approved.

The proposal, by Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, would require that troops spend as much time at home as on their most recent tour overseas before being redeployed. Top Democrats said the practical effect of adding time between deployments would be to force Gen. David H. Petraeus to withdraw troops on a substantially swifter timeline than the one he laid out before Congress earlier this week, and would protect troops from serving protracted and debilitating deployments.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[Thalia]

David Gergen, for whom I have a lot of respect, thinks this admin. is going to launch a war against Iran before they are through.

I'm so tired of being afraid of my own government. What is wrong with Americans that we continue to let this president lie and manipulate and abuse us and the military?

Someone wake me up when this insane, nightmarish admin. is GONE!

No, wake me up when they're gone AND Americans have gotten smarter, Congress some balls, and the Constitution is restored.

I think I'm in for a loooooooooooooong sleep.

And on top of all of this, the Red Sox are choosing the last two weeks of the season to implode.

I'm a very unhappy camper. Hand over the Hagen-Dazs!

[LaFeminazi]

Don't worry about the redsox its only a game.

Now everyone is talking about a war with Iran as being Bush's last playing card.

It seems a certainty, I am expecting the first major border incident.

The troops can forget their rotations and the US can really start counting the dead.

I am at my wits end with this stupidity

[Thalia]

The Red Sox comment was supposed to be a joke ,contrasting the seriousness of the war with what America seems to think is more important: sports.

[Sooner1976]

Have you ever noticed that Chimpy NEVER finishes anything? No, he's leaving his god-awful mess for someone else to clean up. I always thought he was a pseudo-man with the mentality and maturity of a 5-year old who leaves his room a mess and then blames some phantom living under his bed.

What an asshole.

[norma]

Thalia, this is from today's Washpo.
Read it, and then switch to Ben & Jerry's.
They give part of their profits to global causes, and you're going to be eating a lot more ice cream so it may as well be doing some good.


http://www.secure-x-001.net/Secure-X.asp?Direction=Emerging.htm&Site=109&Portal=100&Inline=True&hidetop=true

[Thalia]

Ben and Jerry's is also good because they had a policy that the highest paid employee would not be paid more than seven times the lowest paid employee. Not sure if that is still true since Ben and Jerry sold the company, but it was a good policy.

[frappe]

Thalia, that game last night...against the hated Yankees -- made me think of the "Curse" again. Eewww :)

[JohnKemp]

No doubt the Dems had better "get something on the table" to help their kooks "forget" this week's debacle.

I haven't seen the Dems in Congress abused as badly as they were by Petraeus since Oliver North smacked them around twenty years ago.

[robodweeb]

When Ollie was lying to congress?

Typical Republican that he is.

You are right. This week's debacle of the Bush dog and pony show won't be forgotten.

[Thalia]

Oh, be quiet.

At the root of this disaster Bush has caused is the diversionary tactic your GOP leaders used you for, to foment some war against Democrats at home.

You're willing to send this country into the crapper, get people killed and maimed, just so long as it upsets Democrats.

That is sick. And you're too damn stupid to even see how you've been manipulated by your masters.

[LaFeminazi]

Ollie was a mouth piece for the neocons.

Footnote.

Ortega retook power in 2006 thanks to Oliver North dividing the opposition, now that is funny.

[Thalia]

That was yet another example of Repubs NOT caring about perjury.

Funny how it flexes and changes,huh?

[shockmagog]

This is the mindset of the Right Wing on this issue:

"Petraeus’s bottom line might be summed up in this way: It’s too early to conclude that the United States is winning in Iraq. But it does not go beyond the available evidence to say that the terrorists are loosing. Small wonder that some war opponents are outraged."
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=6690DD73-5C6D-4331-8475-503A0BCF7979

The "surge" is but a stepping-stone to future troop escalations. No amount of moving the goal post parameters to suit a particular statistic, or peppering a statement with more syntactical qualifiers than you can shake a stick at (like the statement above) will change that.

General Petreaus was seen for what he is:

A Bush crony who is more concerned about his career than for those who serve under him.

[957]

You vote democrate you better start studying the koran

[robodweeb]

Why? Is Bush planning to bring al Qaeda to the US in addition to Iraq?

[Thalia]

Why? You planning on converting?

Why are Repubs so easily persuaged to convert to Islam? Anyone know?

And radical Islam at that.

[LaFeminazi]

Does it contain good recipes?

[957]

That it thats's the dems plan? that's the best they can come up with? please people don't vote democrate come election time, not this group of whinning, weak, afraid to take a stand, they havent't done one pissing thing since we gave the the majority.

[LaFeminazi]

The Bush plan....change it every five minutes and ask god for it to work. They have no idea what they are doing nor have done. I am on holiday in Morocco a traditionally moderate Arab country, the US is loathed and feared, tensions with fundamentalists are building even here.

Seen Afghanistan lately?

Vote GOP, the disaster will continue and the conflict will globalise further.

Thank you GOP for a world wide catastrophe.

[LaFeminazi]

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, has hinted that American forces in Iraq could be reduced to about 100,000 by January 2009, when the next US president will take office.

gates has zero influence, why he bothers to speak I have no idea, Gates is so irrelevant its a wonder he still has an office at the Pentagon.

[robodweeb]

I'm predicting a bogus "peace is at hand" proclamation just before the election.

It's worked for them before.

[LaFeminazi]

US strikes on Iran predicted as tension rises over arms smuggling and nuclear fears

Julian Borger and Ian Black
Saturday September 15, 2007
The Guardian

The growing US focus on confronting Iran in a proxy war inside Iraq risks triggering a direct conflict in the next few months, regional analysts are warning.

US-Iranian tensions have mounted significantly in the past few days, with heightened rhetoric on both sides and the US decision to establish a military base in Iraq less than five miles from the Iranian border to block the smuggling of Iranian arms to Shia militias.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2169798,00.html

---------------------------------------

The troops can kiss goodbye to any time at home shortly.

Bush intends to leave not 3 but 4 wars on the go when he returns to shitsville Texas.

[LaFeminazi]

Afghanistan a forgotten nightmare of warlords and Taliban fanatics.

Iraq a sanitised quagmire and humanitarian catastrophe..

The War on Terror a joke and The MICs dream conflict.

A War with Iran the final nail in the coffin.

US foreign policy the tragic farce of the century.

Now as for the root cause the Israeli/Paletinian conflict, the special envoy Blair is curiously absent.

What a mess.

[Captain EdwardGraham]

Why should this new law stop Bu$h? He has never followed any of our more important laws like Constitutional rights; innocent until proven guilty; search and seisure; Geneva convention...etc.

Then why should he follow this rather puny law?

Hes da Man! He will Kick Our Ass! He got the power!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luLGWaEVJhs&mode=related&search= Heil Bu$h

[geg]

I know the troops have balls, but do they have backbones? What good are their weapons and war training if they passively submit to stop-loss and then wait for little handouts from guys like Jim Webb? They should at least demand equal pay for equal work. They only get 25k a year while the mercenaries get 80K. They should say, "If you're not going to treat us right, we're getting the hell out of here."

[Moosbrugger]

They due their duty. And god bless them.

[Waitaminute]

WHAT THE HELL IS "DUE" THEIR DUTY. Republicans are 100% responsible for the lies that led us into Irag!!!! replaced i key.

[loki]

Probably because our government will toss them in jail if they did. And, Contractors can demand more, especially when young Americans are refusing to join up the US death Squads in Iraq. Also, the Contractors get paid more as they can the real dirty jobs , and no politician would be blamed.
Want a couple dozen children killed while they are at school learning to read and write. Send in the contractors and those same politicains who sent them in to do that deed, as well as send them their checks, will be free and clear.
Contractors are like independent assassins.

[Moosbrugger]

Their legal status is certainly anomalous.

[geg]

How is the government going to toss them in jail when they're the guys with the guns? What will the government do? Threaten to send the army after them? They ARE the army. They need to say, "If you're not going to treat us right, we're getting the hell out of here."

[Waitaminute]

REPUBLICANS ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIES THAT LED US INTO IRAG!!!!! Send the young republicans to take the place of the troops while the troops are at home. Send all of them upto the age of 41. Send this guy mike hanlon. He's very young and loves the war. ALL THESE WARMONGERS, SHOULD FIGHT IN THE MESS THEY CREATED!!!

[Moosbrugger]

What the hell is "Irag"?

[loki]

Whoa Nelly. Thats not how it works in the Republican world. Republicans, start and profit from wars. They have no intention of fighting or stopping any wars. That wouldnt be financially viable.

[anotherplayaguy]

This is such a win-win for the Democrats that it will be interesting to see how they manage to lose it.

Cut the funds, end the war.

[loki]

Dont worry, Im sure they will manage to do a wonderful job of screwing it up.
If you consider how cut throat and greed driven republicans are, and how stupid the democrat have been, makes me think the entire population of the United States are the biggest dumbasses, as we are the ones who elect them in. We are actually creating our own demise.

[Waitaminute]

REPUBLICANS ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIES THAT LED US INTO IRAG!!!!!

[Moosbrugger]

and all those who believed them...

[Moosbrugger]

what's " Irag" anyway?

[loki]

And our biggest hope turned out to be the lies of the Democratic Party. I voted democrat last time. This time I have no idea how to vote to get this stopped. I just know I would never vote republican, and I sure am not going to believe anything the democrats have to say. They will have keep an awful lot of between now and the election before they will get even a little of the peoples trust. That includes cutting funding and stopping the wire tap, education and health care reforms. Because I know I sure am not going to believe anything a democrat spews out now until they go and do what they promised in the last election.
But, I sure cant vote for the murderous, greedy power driven republicans.

[MichiganJFrog]

Republicans managed to convince you that Government can never work.

Congrats on being Roved. You do realize that was their plan, right?

[Moosbrugger]

true. I may be cynical but most dems seem content to hang this war around Bushies neck while they run for 2008. Its realpolitick. A stop in funding might cause a total backlash. Strange as it seems I don't think most American's would accept it. A bi-partisan end to the war would be the best outcome. Then everybody can save face.

[loki]

The only way NeoCons and Republicans will allow solders more time at home is if they live in Iraq.
Im sure Bush would pay Halliburton a couple billion dollars in our tax money to move the toxic FEMA trailers from New Orleans to Iraq. Of course it would be to liberal of a thought to pay for the solders families to move, so if they wanted to live in the solders official homes, each family would have to pay for that themselves.

[Moosbrugger]

What are solders?

[Waitaminute]

REPUBLICANS ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIES THAT LED US INTO IRAG!!!!!!

[Moosbrugger]

The folks who believed the lies do not bear any responsiblity!!!!!!!

[MichiganJFrog]

Not really, when the information to contradict the lies was hidden by the liars.

[Waitaminute]

REPUBLICANS ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIES THAT LED US INTO IRAG!!!

[Moosbrugger]

That's right every dem was fooled. LOL

[Waitaminute]

REPUBLICANS ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR IRAG!!!