Here's a little news item you may have missed this morning:
"This Year, Deadliest For U.S. Troops In Iraq."
It seems that the five more unnecessary deaths of men and women yesterday gave us a new record, hell of a job Georgie, five more families's world is getting destroyed today, destroyed. And where are the Democrats on this issue of Iraq? Where is the media? Where is the outrage that this month, November 2007, we will spend:
Hello? Is anybody out there?
It's gotten so bad that you know who I am starting to agree with? George Will. Yesterday he wrote:
Congress can, however, put the Constitution's bridle back on the presidency. Congress can end unfettered executive war-making by deciding to. That might not require, but would be facilitated by, enacting the Constitutional War Powers Resolution. Introduced last week by Rep. Walter B. Jones, a North Carolina Republican, it technically amends but essentially would supplant the existing War Powers Resolution, which has been a nullity ever since it was passed in 1973 over President Richard Nixon's veto.
Jones's measure is designed to ensure that deciding to go to war is, as the Founders insisted it be, a "collective judgment." It would prohibit presidents from initiating military actions except to repel or retaliate for sudden attacks on America or American troops abroad, or to protect and evacuate U.S. citizens abroad. It would provide for expedited judicial review to enforce compliance with the resolution and would permit the use of federal funds only for military actions taken in compliance with the resolution.
What's worse? A pure blue Democrat like me agreeing with George Will or the fact that a new War Powers Resolution had to be introduced by A REPUBLICAN. Hello Speaker Pelosi - reality would like to have a word with you.
I could go on.
I think I will.
I don't understand why Democratic Candidates and the Party itself aren't making Iraq the number one issue right now - why are we not making it the issue and tying it right around the Right's neck? But if you watch the debates, you get the sense that Iraq is just another issue.
Just another issue like health care, global warming, equal rights and Roe vs. Wade. You say the platitudes, "I will end the war in Iraq." And move on. 2013? Sounds about right to me.
THAT'S SIX YEARS FROM NOW.
We'll lose 900 men and women in Iraq this year, nine times six is 4,500.
72 months times $9,000,000,000 a month equals:
$648,000,000,000 --- 648 BILLION DOLLARS - we can pay for SCHIP, QCHIP, VCHIP and any other damm chip we need. We could rebuild schools and pave New Orleans in gold for goodness sakes
But no. We're going to spend that money and we're going to watch forty-five hundred more men and women die because to quote George Will again:
Unless and until Congress stops prattling about presidential "usurpation" of power and asserts its own, it will remain derelict regarding its duty of mutual participation in war-making. And it will merit its current marginalization.
And finally, here's what will really send me over the edge.
Veteran's Day is coming up.
We will see President Bush, our beloved National Guard veteran who couldn't find Alabama when he was starting in Texas, speak as eloquently as only he can about supporting our troops.
We will see politicians, Blue and Red, wave the flag and handle the photo ops.
What we won't see - any damm progress on ending the war.
Please consider visiting and signing up at www.iraq.newsladder.net - it is one way we can help keep the issue front, center and aggregated in one place.