From the NYT:
On Iraq, Kerry Again Leaves Democrats Fuming
Democrats who wished their nominee would take a firm stand in 2004 now oppose his call for a fixed date for the withdrawal of troops.The Democrats' exasperation has increased in the last week, as they postponed a vote on Mr. Kerry's amendment to try to fashion a broader consensus among themselves. Democrats up for re-election asked him not to propose a fixed date. But Mr. Kerry, several Democrats said, was unwilling to budge from that idea, even though his co-sponsor, Senator Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin, seemed willing to compromise for the sake of consensus. In the end, Mr. Kerry agreed only to extend his deadline, from Dec. 31 of this year to July 2007...
Mr. Feingold, Mr. Kerry's co-sponsor, said: “There should be no political considerations, there should be only considerations for the security of the American people. I believe the American people, even in conservative states, are willing to see this end.”
He said that a year ago he was the only senator calling for a withdrawal. “This is building,” he said. “The American people are actually way ahead of the Senate on this.”
and the ChiTrib
Senate Democrats put up a divided front on the Iraqi war Wednesday while Republicans stood firmly by President Bush in a debate that put in sharp relief how the conflict may play as an issue in this year's campaign for control of Congress.While Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) called for a withdrawal from Iraq of all U.S. forces by July 1, 2007, other Democrats rallied behind a non-binding proposal urging Bush to submit a plan for phased redeployment of troops by the end of the year.
The GOP ridiculed both approaches. But the war is unpopular, according to public opinion polls, and Democrats played to their strength in that regard as they used the Senate floor as a forum to reach voters.
..
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), an opponent of a firm date for withdrawal and a leading candidate for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president, backed the non-binding resolution.Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)... opposed the Kerry withdrawal plan in favor of the non-binding approach offered by Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Dianne Feinstein of California and Ken Salazar of Colorado.
Although critical of the Bush policy, Obama said “we need to exit Iraq, but not in a way that leaves a security problem behind. ... We did not think through going in. We should think through going out.”
Actually, if one presents a resolution to give free puppies to all 8 year olds, but then omits the actual date when one can pick up the free puppies - then isn't the resolution just a joke? A cruel, unfunny joke. From my perspective, the pandering class (Clinton, Obama, Salazar, yadda yadda) think just saying the magic phrase 'free puppies' is enough, and it isn't. We need the details to convince ourselves whether their intentions are serious or just blabber-blubber.
Tags: 2008_election, /Democrats, /Iraq
