CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS + SOME FAKE DEMOCRATS ISSUE ANOTHER BLANK CHECK FOR BUSH'S IRAQ WAR

I started this blog with a feeling of relief, saying that I couldn't complain about Nacy Pelosi and the Democrats not hanging together this time. With the exception of just 4 of the worst ultra-reactionary DINOs-- John Barrow (GA), Jim Marshall (GA), Charlie Melancon (LA) and Dan Boren (OK)-- the whole caucus voted against the GOP publicity stunt disguised as House Resolution 861: "Declaring That the United States Will Prevail in the Global War on Terror, the Struggle to Protect Freedom From the Terrorist Adversary." The Democrats were joined by Independent Bernie Sanders (VT) and by 3 anti-war Republicans, Walter Jones (NC), Jim Leach (IA), and Ron Paul (TX). The insulting resolution passed 222-194 because 218 Republicans have completely embraced the concept of being utter rubber-stamps for Bush's foreign policies. (In return he allows them to pillage the entire nation and steal whatever they can get away with; very cozy relationship.)

But I was wrong. That was actually just the enabling legislation to take up the matter. On the actual bill, the 4 DINOs were joined by 10 times that many Democrats! Although Jane Harman's brush with political mortality, courtesy of Marcy Winograd, kept her ass in check, all the regular fake Democratic Bush boot-lickers were there to join the GOP in endorsing the neo-Con plan for world destruction: John Barrow (GA), Melissa Bean (IL), Howard Berman (CA) who apparently needs a much stronger primary challenge next time, Marion Berry (AR), Sanford Bishop (GA), Dan Boren (OK), Barbara Boxer's favorite war-monger- Leonard Boswell (IA), Rick Boucher (VA), Dennis Cardoza (CA), Ed Case (HI), Ben Chandler (KY), Jim Cooper (TN), Jim Costa (CA), Jerry Costello (IL), Bud Cramer (AL), the Joe Lieberman of the House- Henry Cuellar (TX), Lincoln Davis (TN), Chet Edwards (TX), Bob Etheridge (NC), Bart Gordon (TN), Gene Green (TX), Stephanie Herseth (SD), Brian Higgins (NY), Tim Holden (PA), Ron Kind (WI), Rick Larsen (WA), Dan Lipinski (IL), Steve Lynch (MA), Jim Marshall (GA), Jim Matheson (UT), Carolyn McCarthy (NY), Mike McIntyre (NC), Charlie Melancon (LA), Dennis Moore (KS), Collin Peterson (MN), Mike Ross (AR), John Salazar (CO), Adam Smith (WA), Vic Snyder (AR), John Spratt (SC), Gene Taylor (MS), and Bennie Thompson (MS).

Although Democrats.com called the immoral 256-153 vote "yet another sign that a seismic shift in Congressional power is needed in November," there were far too many Democrats joining the GOP for the day to make this as clear-cut an issue as it should be. The claim that the Republican-controlled House passed the resolution saying "...it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq" and "…the United States is committed to the completion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq" is certainly true. But with 42 Democrats still clinging to their rubber-stamp status for Bush, the argument gets murky for the general public. What do the Democrats satnd for? That's a lot of Democrats opting to "stay the course," the disastrously, catastrophically failed course shoved down our throats by the war-profiteers and liars who utterly control the Bush Regime.

61% of Americans don't agree. (And that includes 85% of Democrats and 67% of Independents-- and this polling data was all taken after the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi mega-media event.

Pelosi did really well in the "debate" but it was John Murtha who turned the tables on the callow GOP strategists, pointing out that there in no longer a real purpose for U.S. troops to be in Iraq. "
"There's less than 1,000 al Qaeda in Iraq but we're caught in this civil war between 100,000 Shias and 20,000 Sunnis fighting with each other... You know who wants us to stay in Iraq right now? Al Qaeda wants us there because it recruits people for them. China wants us there. North Korea wants us there. Russia wants us there. Stay and we'll pay, not only pay in dollars... I figure it took us through the Reagan administration to pay for the Vietnam War."

And Tom Lantos summed today's circus up most accurately: "The Republican leadership has turned what could have been a serious debate into a charade."