"Democrats Unable to Bring Troops Home"
That's the risible headline that the Associated Press attaches to its account of the Democrats' so-far-unsuccessful effort to surrender to al Qaeda in Iraq.
If you think about it, it isn't easy to attempt to surrender, but fail. The best analogy I can think of is the first Gulf War, when groups of Saddam's soldiers were seen following unmanned drones with their hands in the air, in a futile effort to be taken prisoner. Little did we know then that just a few years later, a majority in Congress would try to surrender to al Qaeda at the very moment when our troops are crushing them. At least Saddam's soldiers had an excuse: they were losing.
The AP buys into the idea that the Dems are carrying out the will of the people by advocating defeatism:
Nearly a year after anti-war voters put them in power, congressional Democrats remain unable to pass legislation ordering troops home from Iraq. Frustrated by Republican roadblocks, Democrats now plan to sit on President Bush's $196 billion request for war spending until next year—pushing the Pentagon toward an accounting nightmare and deepening their conflict with the White House on the war.
I don't know who put the Dems into power--it certainly wasn't me--but the idea that everyone who cast a ballot for a Democrat was pro-surrender is ridiculous. From here on, though, the AP does better. If you actually read the article, the fecklessness of the Democrats comes through loud and clear:
Now, Democratic leaders say they won't send President Bush a war spending bill this year. They calculate the military has enough money to run through mid-February.Responding to the congressional blockage, Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday signed a memo ordering the Army to begin planning for a series of expected cutbacks, including the layoffs of as many as 100,000 civilian employees and another 100,000 civilian contractors, starting as early as January, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.
"The memo reflects the urgency of the situation we find ourselves in—we are in a real crisis," Morrell said, noting that layoff notices to some civilian employees would have to be sent as early as mid- December. He decried Congress' refusal thus far to provide the money needed to continue fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, accusing lawmakers of "holding hostage the well-being of our men and women in uniform, and our national security."
The delay will satisfy a Democratic support base that is fiercely anti-war. But it also will give Republicans and the White House ample time to hammer Democrats for leaving for the holidays without funding the troops.
I should certainly hope so. I'm sure that past Congresses have done something as disgraceful as the Dems' current attempt to bring about defeat by starving the military, but I can't, offhand, think when.
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