August 30, 2007

IRAQ: Round II

Open Left's Chris Bowers sets the stage for 9/07: "The timeline for the next Iraq funding fight in Congress is now set. Congressional hearings on Iraq will begin in mid-September, including the testimony of General Petraeus on September 11th. Shortly thereafter, the Bush administration will request another $197 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And so, the fight over Iraq funding, which dominated Congress, headlines and the efforts of progressive activists from February through May, will be officially re-engaged."

Bowers the argues that the netroots can best help Dems by whipping the party in favor of including "a binding timeline for withdrawal." Talk Left's Big Tent Democrat notes that Dems and the netroots have been down that road before: "I believe this request provides Congress another chance to set an end date to the Iraq Debacle. The Congress must set a date certain for ending funding for Iraq Debacle operations. If they lack the political courage to say no to this funding request, the Congress must insist that this is the LAST request and that there will be no more funding for Iraq Debacle operations after a date certain. I suggest March 31, 2008."

On the right, Townhall's Hugh Hewitt sums up his major disagreement with The Pentagon's New Map author and ex-John Kerry adviser Thomas Barnett: "I will ask Dr. Barnett back next week, but it seems to me that advocates of his strategy of an even more comprehensive withdrawal have to begin their analysis by asking the people who are there or who have been there recently what they see happening in Iraq. What a folly and a terrible tragedy it would be if the U.S.abandoned Iraq to a paroxysm of sectarian killing far worse than that of 2006, and to another tyrant in the mold of Saddam if it could have been avoided. As long as there is a good, or even "some" chance of that result, we should be supporting the surge."

Posted by Conn Carroll at August 30, 2007 12:51 PM