Senate threat to revisit authority for war in Iraq

[sabra]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1e1e89ca-2306-11db-848d-0000779...

Senate threat to revisit authority for war in Iraq

The US Congress may have to re-examine President George W. Bush’s authority to wage war in Iraq if the country descends into full-blown civil war, an influential Republican senator said on Thursday.

John Warner, chairman of the Senate armed services committee, raised the possibility that Congress might have to revisit the authorisation it gave Mr Bush to wage war in Iraq after two senior US generals conceded that Iraq could slide into civil war.

...

Some Republican senators joined Democrats in questioning whether the US military had expected a year ago that violence in Iraq would have increased to the current levels, with 100 deaths a day in Baghdad. Both generals said they had not expected this.

The generals were speaking as the US military decided to delay the departure of some troops to bolster counter-insurgency efforts in Baghdad. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who has long criticised Mr Rumsfeld for not sending more troops to Iraq, said the military was employing a strategy of “whack-a-mole” by redeploying troops from areas that were not under control to other violent areas.

[Virginia Dare]

1. What do they consider full-blown civil war?

inquiring minds want to know.

[MrCoffee]

2. when they start blowing up the pipelines

oh, wait...

[chill_wind]

4. Exactly. As long as they never use that word, Warner never has to keep

such a promise. Works out well that way for everybody.

[kurth]

11. There is no civil war, just a neighborhood squabble

on a very large scale, with automatic weapons and explosives.

[rodeodance]

13. recall Rummy said -its all a matter of defination (a few days ago)--but I

do not what def. he gave (OR if he did)

[wellst0nev0ter]

15. When Generals Jackson, Sherman & McClellan Come Back From The Dead

and we see Iraqi equivalents to the Battles of Antietam or Vicksburg, with organized armies and all

[BOSSHOG]

3. Don't you just know

that republicans in the senate would like to wring bush's neck. His shit is stinking in their states. So fucking sad!

[nam78_two]

5. whack-a-mole...lol

[leftchick]

6. this is so much bullshit

number one: HELLLOOOO! Iraq has been in a full blown Civil War for quite some time now.

number two: ROFLMAO! Does anyone? ANYONE really believe that this fucking useless congress will actually question bush's "inherent authority"? He is their fucking little king and they treat him like one.

[IndianaGreen]

7. The British ambassador to Iraq openly called it a "civil war"

in a secret cable that was leaked to the British press. Official Washington is the only one still in denial.

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. GEE!! - Maybe Saddam had a better plan to manage this powder-keg?

.
.
.

But that's moot

The USA went in there cuz Saddam was playing around with OIL supply

creating shortages one month, then surpluses months later

and that messed with Big Oil's profits . . .

And Korprate Murika will never stand for that

Korprate Murika don't give one hoot about humanity

Just their bank balance

No-one has convinced me different so far . . .

[IndianaGreen]

9. But didn't some Democrats say in 2004 that IWR was not authority for war?

The Left was right in opposing IWR in 2003, as it is right in demanding an unconditional and immediate US withdrawal from Iraq. The failure of the political center to listen to the Left has only resulted in war and misery!

[Gully Foyle]

10. Huh

Kerry voted against before he voted for it now will he be voting against it now? My head spun with Kerry speak.
Hillary salivated over the war. Calls to her office were 10 to 1 AGAINST.

Maybe Republicans want toi get re-elected this year.

[MichiganVote]

12. Election year statements like this from war hawks like the repub's

are nauseating. Like they would actually do anything remotely resembling having balls.

[gratuitous]

14. Four years and thousands of lives later . . .

The Senate decides to get off its collective pasty white rump-ah and see if there's anything to this "civil war" stuff they keep hearing so much about. Doddering old fools! They should be walking point through Sadr City with a saucepan and a wooden spoon shouting "Here, snipey, snipey, snipey!"