Give War A Chance
Another anti-war Dem shifts columns:
U.S. Rep. Brian Baird said Thursday that his recent trip to Iraq convinced him the military needs more time in the region, and that a hasty pullout would cause chaos that helps Iran and harms U.S. security…
With Congress poised next month to look at U.S. progress in Iraq and a vote looming on U.S. funding for the war, Baird said he’s inclined to seek a continued U.S. presence in Iraq beyond what many impatient Americans want. He also expects Gen. David Petraeus, who oversees U.S. troops in Iraq, to seek a redeployment of forces. “People may be upset. I wish I didn’t have to say this,” Baird said. He added that the United States needs to continue with its military troops surge “at least into early next year, then engage in a gradual redeployment. … I know it’s going to cost hundreds of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.”
It was Baird’s fifth trip to the Middle East, and he conceded that what he has learned has put him again in an unpopular position with some voters. He no longer thinks partitioning Iraq into Sunni, Shiite and Kurd sections is possible, for instance; no one he spoke to in Israel, Jordan, Palestinian cities or Iraq liked the idea, he added.
Baird said he would not say this if he didn’t believe two things:
• “One, I think we’re making real progress.”
• “Secondly, I think the consequences of pulling back precipitously would be potentially catastrophic for the Iraqi people themselves, to whom we have a tremendous responsibility … and in the long run chaotic for the region as a whole and for our own security.”
Hasta la mandate. That non-veto-proof margin is shrinking. Anyone care to hazard a guess where it’ll be by mid-September?
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 4:12 pm on Friday, August 17, 2007
7 Responses to “Give War A Chance”
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August 17th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Baird is at least honest about the situation. Unlike many of his fellow Congresscritters.
That non-veto-proof margin is shrinking. Anyone care to hazard a guess where it’ll be by mid-September?
I’m betting that Reid and Pelosi will be swinging in the breeze. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
PS: John Lennon is doubtless spinning in his grave over your pun. Great job, Jules!
August 17th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
” That non-veto-proof margin is shrinking. Anyone care to hazard a guess where it’ll be by mid-September? ”
in Harry Reid’s other pants?
August 17th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
That non-veto-proof margin is shrinking. Anyone care to hazard a guess where it’ll be by mid-September?
How ’bout in cold storage ready to be thawed out as needed. Never give up a good white flag!
August 18th, 2007 at 8:19 am
[...] a little off-putting, but there’s some substance to what they say: what we’re hearing from Democratic legislators who come back from Iraq is [...]
August 18th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Can’t predict, dems are like fish out of water, flipping and flopping with every wave of their gills. Al Quaeda knows this and will keep working on them.
August 18th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
[...] you really have to read his post today. Ha ha, NYT humor! What message is Bush going to aim at the growing numbers of Congressional Democrats who now say he’s doing something right in Iraq? Well, I think we’ve just seen it. It’s a [...]