Thursday, June 22, 2006

Looking for Signs of a Bipartisan Sea Change on George W. Bush? (Part II)

Update on my previous post on Senator Chuck Hagel

Yesterday afternoon on the Senate floor, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel:
Congress fails in its duty when we do not probe, when we fail, we do not ask tough questions, and we fail when we do not debate the gate issues of our day. There is no issue more important than war. The war in Iraq is the defining issue on which this Congress and the administration will be judged. The American people want to see serious debate about serious issues from serious leaders. They deserve more than a political debate. This debate should transcend cynical attempts to turn public frustration with the war in Iraq into an electoral advantage. It should be taken more seriously than to simply retreat into focus-group tested buzz words and phrases like “cut and run,” catchy political slogans that debase the seriousness of war. War’s not a partisan issue, Mr. President. It should not be held hostage to political agendas. War should not be drug down into the political muck. America deserves better. Our men and women fighting and dying deserve better.
Courtesy of Think Progress

9 comments:

  1. This post was delayed by replaying, replaying and replaying the 43rd minute of the Ghana-American World Cup Match.

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  2. Looking for a sea change out of Republicans????

    You gotta be kidding Vigilante. Pigs will fly and Americans will win the World Cup before that happens.

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  3. Just what the doctor should have ordered for me. I have spent considerable time on a right wing blog where I tried desperately get some exchangin of ideas going but more or less failed. These far right groups do not open up for any ideas coming outside the box they presently habitate and I started to feel that there is no such thing as a thinking human being with a Republican persuation. I don't know anything about Sen. Chuck Hagel, but in my fragile condition I take anything.

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  4. I venture to say, Pekka, that both of us agree that George W Bush more richly deserves to have his length of office shortened by the impeachment route than any other previous president, for an unprecedented, long list of high crimes and misdemeanors.

    In order for that to happen, there will have to be some significant Republican support for it. Progressives should anticipate from whence that might come.

    Recidivist's worse case scenario, of course, may be the most probable path history will take - to the detriment of the "American Experience".

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  5. Add me to the list of pro-impeachment! It's one of the reasons why it's so critical to vote in local and state elections. California's voter turnout in the primary was only 25% of registered voters.

    I found some positive trends about redeployment of American soldiers from Iraq.

    On 6/19/06, Sens. Levin and Reed, with co-sponsorship from Senators Dianne Feinstein and Ken Salazar introduced a phased redeployment bill.

    Sens. Kerry, Feingold, Boxer announced a "Redeployment Bill" to occur by 12/31/06.

    After Downing Street reports: "Six months ago, there was only one Senator willing to call for redeployment of American combat forces out of Iraq, Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold. Last month, the total had increased to three, Kerry, Feingold and Harkin (D-IA).

    Today 39 Senators – including one Republican – voted to begin a troop drawdown in 2006 and 13 voted to complete the process by 2007."

    Granted, it's not truly bipartisanship, but it's a small step in the right direction.

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  6. Vigilante, if I read you correctly, you advocate sort of a diplomatic approach to be used to deal with the least regressive Republicans instead all out war. To get them onside. The kind of thing that should have happened maybe with Iraq and now again with Iran. If my assumption is correct, I fully agree. This practice where I don't talk with my enemy/other party is not bearing fruits, is it? My wish, with countless other Eropeans, is to rid the world of this band of Keystone cops that recide in the White House. To do so, you need all the help you can get, even if they happen to be Republicans.

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  7. You guy are whistlin' dixie if you expect you can get conservatives to come out of the closet before you can get more Democrats to stand up against Bush's war. This week in Washington was pitiful.

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  8. Hillary Rodham Clinton on the difference between Democrats and Republicans:

    We're not blindly united like the other side is, where they are like the three monkeys - 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.'

    They're not going to say anything negative about the president, the vice president, the secretary of defense or anybody else. I think that's irresponsible. It's negligent.

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  9. Hagel: Begin Iraq withdrawal within 6 months

    How?

    "Ask the president. Ask Secretary (of Defense Donald) Rumsfeld. They’re the ones who got us into this.

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