The Common Ills: Those weak, weak Congressional Dems

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Those weak, weak Congressional Dems

I don't know what the Republican Leader wants. Does he want another invasion of Iraq? 

Leader McConnell @SenateMajLdr

It's clear that #Obama’s current “containment” strategy has not defeated #ISIS abroad or prevented more inspired attacks here at home.

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And I don't know the name of the trick that worked over Harry but that incident and the whispers about it are why he's finally leaving the Senate.

So good job, trick.

The rumors over the years -- all the rumors -- would more than suggest that Harry had it coming for the way he treated sex workers.

Good job, trick, whomever you are.

Of course, Harry has no standing with regard to opposing the Iraq War.

Remember when then-US House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi was speaking to THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE and she was asked why, despite having control of both houses of Congress, the Iraq War continued?

She said she had her ducks in a line. She said the House had the votes.

She explained that it was then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's Senate that was the problem.

That was what Nancy Pelosi said.

Go look it up. For the longest, the paper had the full discussion posted in audio form at the website.

We covered it in the May 28, 2008 snapshot -- so let me spoonfeed: Here's the link to the audio of the discussion.

Equally true, when Democratic Senators wanted to explore the waste and corruption in Iraq, Reid didn't want it in 'his' Senate so they had to use the DPC to stage the hearings.

And while we applaud the trick that worked Harry over, let's not leave the impression that Nancy Pelosi is some sort of honest broker herself.

US troops are on the ground in Iraq. US troops are in combat.

By any definition, the US has "boots on the ground" in Iraq.

And Nancy's said what about that?

Not one damn word.

But she had many words in August of 2014. Carla Marinucci (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE) reported:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that congressional Democrats were united in support of President Obama's decision to order air strikes in Iraq as "humanitarian assistance" for refugees trapped by Islamic militant fighters, but added that "we don't consider boots on the ground an option."
Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said 100 House Democrats held a conference call Monday after Obama notified Congress that 275 U.S. troops were being deployed to Iraq as security for American diplomatic personnel in Baghdad. His notification, made under the War Powers Act, came two days after U.S. warplanes fired on Islamic State militants who have bottled up refugees near the Syrian border.
[. . .]
Although House Democrats have made it "very clear" that sending combat forces back to the country is unacceptable, Pelosi said, she left open the possibility that U.S. actions in Iraq could reach "a place where we need congressional action."

With Democrats like Harry and Nancy, no wonder the Iraq War continues.

But remember, in 2006, campaigning during mid-term elections, with a majority in neither house of Congress, the promise they made was give them control of one house and they'd end the war.

The American people gave them control of both houses in 2006.

And they didn't end the war in 2007.

Or 2008.

Or 2009.

Or 2010.

We'll stop there, not just because the Iraq War continues but also because they lost control of both houses in the 2010 mid-terms.

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