Today the US military announced: "Three Task Force Lightning Soldiers were killed in Nineveh province Thursday when an explosion occurred near their vehicle." And they announced: "Four Marines assigned to Multi National Force-West were killed Sept. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province." ICCC lists the total number for US service members who have died in the illegal war at 3760 and, for the month thus far, at 18.
Martha notes Robin Wright and Jonathan Weisman's "Petraeus Open to Pullout of 1 Brigade" (Washington Post):
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus has indicated a willingness to consider a drawdown of one brigade of between 3,500 and 4,500 U.S. troops from Iraq early next year, with more to follow over the next months based on conditions on the ground, according to a senior U.S. official.
The pullouts would be contingent on the ability of U.S. and Iraqi forces to sustain what the administration heralds as recent gains in security and to make further gains in stabilizing Iraq.
Democratic leaders have signaled they are open to a more bipartisan approach to Iraq that would force the Bush administration to begin publicly planning for troop withdrawals but would stop short of requiring a firm timeline.
Last night, we were noting the 168,000 US service members now serving in Iraq with that huge number about to rise to 172,000. Petraeus is a failure the same way the illegal war is a failure and will continue to be a failure. But don't forget the cowardly Democrats. The article has War Hawk Steny Hoyer declaring, "Clearly, we don't have the numbers to override the president's vetoes, as has been clearly demonstrated, nor do we expect to for a long time." Mike Gravel pointed out where Congress' power was some time ago and John Edwards has taken up a similar call. Let Bully Boy veto it. Then send it back. Let him veto it again. Keep sending it back.
Instead of using their power, the article has Nancy Peolois credited as saying "she will allow a vote on bipartisan troops legislation that, without requiring a redeployment, would force the administration to begin publicly planning for a withdrawal."
That's why any of us voted for Nancy?
Now the uninformed Katha Pollitts can rush in to gas bag about everything they know nothing about it. But apparently, I (unlike Pollitt) attended Pelosi's last townhall. Ben Terrall's "Where's Nancy? On Trying to Protest Pelosi in San Francisco" (CounterPunch) quotes Medea Benjamin noting how long it had been since Pelosi held a town hall meeting. What especially needs to be noted is Pelosi's lying at that town hall. When confronted with the issue of permanent bases in Iraq, Pelosi swore it *wasn't* going to happen. When confronted with the fact that it has already happened, Pelosi tried to weasel her way out of the term "permanent" noting that nothing lasts forever. Apparently, the fact that millions and millions of years from now the bases will be reduced to dust meant, to Pelosi, that they weren't permanent. The reaction to that nonsense may go a long way towards explaining why Pelosi has elected not to hold another town hall.
Congress is not doing their job. The Democrats are not merely caving, they're stabbing the voters in the back.
The only thing worth noting from the New York Times write up of Petreaus expected testimony next week, by David E. Sanger and David S. Cloud, is this: "With more than 160,000 American troops now in Iraq, the withdrawal in January of one brigade, roughly 3,500 to 4,500 troops, would not amount to a large drain on General Petraeus's forces."
So the Democrats were returned to power by voters wanting an end to the illegal war and they ignore that but do fund the illegal war and do nothing ('symoblic' gestures are nothing) to prevent the actual number of US troops in Iraq from increasing. They are failures.
Bully Boy's about to ask for another fifty billion dollars ($50,000,000,000.00) for the illegal war. And the best Congress can currently do on the health programs for children is to tack on sin taxes? There ought to be a sin tax on the illegal war and everyone who supports it.
If you didn't catch it at the top, four US troops were killed in Al Anbar Province -- the 'model' province. Where 'success' had come. Only it hasn't. But shhhhh, we're all supposed to skip off to the land of delusion, with the Democrats leading to the way, to visit Crazy Bully Boy at the White House.
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