Key Democrat Might Consider Troop Boost In Iraq

[Purveyor]

President George W. Bush is likely to link any short-term increase in U.S. troop levels in Iraq to political milestones or other conditions, a key Senate Democrat said on Thursday, saying he might consider backing such a "surge" if those conditions are right.

Michigan Democrat Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record) also predicted the Republican president would soon find a way to end the "open-ended commitment" of U.S. troops to Iraq, even if Bush does propose a short-term boost in forces.

"I can't believe the president is simply going to say, 'We're going to increase troops in Iraq,"' Levin told reporters outside the Senate. "It's likely the president would add something of a conditionality to it."

"The (recent congressional) election is far too clear, that the public wants to change course and find a way out of Iraq and not get in deeper in Iraq," said Levin, who is the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

---SNIP---

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070104/pl_nm/iraq_usa_troops_dc_3

[Eugene]

1. The senator has has more faith in Shrubya's ability to reason than I do. n/t

[rock]

5. Or than contact with reality allows n/t

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. Is This Guy On Drugs??

Levin's been having a few too many cocktails lately methinks.

Hey Carl, where exactly have you been the last 6 years?

"I can't believe the president is simply going to say, 'We're going to increase troops in Iraq,"' Levin told reporters outside the Senate. "It's likely the president would add something of a conditionality to it."

"The (recent congressional) election is far too clear, that the public wants to change course and find a way out of Iraq and not get in deeper in Iraq," said Levin, who is the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.


Earth To Carl!!

[gratuitous]

9. Levin is listing a number of conditions

The headline to the story seems far more generous toward Levin's inclination to send more troops than the Senator's comments would indicate. Levin is also pretty smart (compare and contrast with some of his colleagues, namely Brownback and Bunning for two), and politics is the art of sounding like "yes" when you really mean "no."

In any event, I'm guessing that Chimpy is going to keep saying "surge, surge, surge" until political reality undeniably sets in, and then he'll run around to make it look like he was leading the "get the hell out" parade all along. He's done it over and over before in his political career, and he'll probably do it again.

[confludemocrat]

15. This bastard Bush will agree to all sorts of conditions, it's what he does after

that counts. Remember fall 2002? He'll agree to any of Levins conditions, but once they're over there, he gets to do what he wants (more cries for TOTAL VICTORY, will follow their deployment). The KEY is not to give him that chance.

[eauclaireliberal]

3. RE:Key Democrat is going to fall on his ass

"I can't believe the president is simply going to say, 'We're going to increase troops in Iraq,"

What plot of sand has this guy had his head planted these last few years?

"It's likely the president would add something of a conditionality to it."

"conditionality?" Every idiot on the hill is sounding like W.

[Purveyor]

6. The good Senator is up for re-election in 2008... n/t

[BridgeTheGap]

8. His chances of re-election and any other turkeys who support this

are not good - UNLESS, it works...but realistically - what are the chances of that?
Anyone running against Levin (or anyone else who supports this) just has to run an ad with the images of service people from their state/district who died after the surge...
Again, if it the "surge" fails - many will go down with it!

[hashibabba]

4. I'll be totally surprised if Chimpy has a plan to get us out at any

point in time.

A thump on the head to Sen. Carl Levin. Just gives Bush another reason to escalate the violence--"I have the support of Dems"

[Dr Fate]

7. I dont trust people who claim to trust Bush. n/t

n/t

[JPZenger]

10. Does Bush Realize Iraq is Lost and He Wants Someone to Blame

Here's my theory. Bush realizes that Iraq is a lost cause with no solution, and that there really are no spare troops to send to Iraq.

Therefore, his first response is to look for a way to blame the Dems. So he says that additional troops are needed for a surge which will win the war. He then expects the Dems to fight him and he eventually makes a speech saying that Dem opposition made it impossible to send the extra troops.

Then, when Iraq does completely implode, he can say that it was the Dems fault - they wouldn't let me do the troop surge.

[Xenotime]

11. WTF?! They were elected to bring the troops home....

They better have not lied to us!!

[pdrichards114]

12. More and more it's kinda starting to look like it.

But kudos to Cindy Sheehan for telling the Dem's and Repukes to shut up and just bring the troops home now!!!!!

[Teaser]

13. Hey Geniuses, do you realize what Levin is doing here?

He's attaching conditions to support for a "troop surge" that he knows Bush won't meet? Why? It makes him look reasonable and when Bush inevitably doesn't follow through makes Bush look unreasonable.

He is trying to make the Concensus Washington Position something *other* than that which Bush is advancing.

Goddamn there are some clueless clowns here.

[confludemocrat]

14. Oh yeah, like we've never heard similar "explanations" for this kind of complicity

before. And clueless clowns are more often the ones who advance this kind of justification. Or those who can't even spell consensus.

[ShortnFiery]

19. No, you can NOT trust that the concessions will EVER be met

One thing we have fully digested about the republican party, and especially Dear Leader, is that they DO NOT keep their promises.

DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH BUSH!!!

He will take his "surge and accelerate" and give US (Democrats representing the working people) back *nothing.*

Again, if they compromise and permit this surge, that's it! They are either STUPID or complicit in bankrupting the middle class of America. :(

Democratic Leaders ----> Don't do it!!!

[paulk]

22. you're right

he's also establishing Democratic cred for national security, always a weak point.

you're also right about the clueless clowns....

Levin is no DINO.

[antiimperialist]

24. Levin vs. Joint Chiefs of Staff

How Ironic, the ones who are supposed to be warmongering neocons advise against a surge, while Carl Levin, whom I no longer respect, wants to send more troops.
Here is an aditional report from former officers who told none other than Fox News that a surge would be fatal for the military.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,240821,00.html

[rebel with a cause]

16. As a famous first lady once said.........

Just say no! That is my advise to the democrats on what they should do to any and all of bush's proposals.

[clixtox]

17. Better to send...

30.000 Ethiopian soldiers. They supposedly cleaned up Somalia in just a few weeks...

[Acadia Blue]

18. Stupid. Real Stupid.

[Guaranteed]

20. "I can't believe the president is simply going to"- No. BELIEVE it.

If I had a nickel for every time I said that to myself. Of course, I usually referred to him as "that chimp," or some other non-human primate. But, every time I said it, that's exactly what he did.

I have a hard time believing that Levin doesn't understand that that chimp has no qualms with thoughtlessly doing whatever he wants, without regard for whether it will work or what's best for our country.

[Countdown_3_2_1]

21. DINOs plus Re-Thugs equals a GOP majority.

One of our senate votes is in the hospital.
Other Democrats will vote with the GOP.
The Vice President can and will vote in the senate.

Either we name a unified policy and stick to it, or the GOP can hold everything up and blame us.

Methinks the anti-war vote that came out last November has been betrayed.

[antiimperialist]

23. Rich white men

They are all the same.