Moving On to the War at Hand: A Small Price to Pay

It's no wonder that so many in Congress want to move on to topics other than the ongoing horrors of the occupation in Iraq. Too often, when Repubs talk about Iraq they say things like Rep. John Boehner says in the new ad produced by Americans United for Change above. They seem to have to no real sense of what's going on there or why. They don't seem to get what's really hurting the troops.

Hint: It's not an ad by MoveOn. It's not people working to get our troops out of harm's way and out from under a civil war. What's hurting our troops is the refusal of Republicans to admit realities publicly and take the action they know is needed. It's their fear of getting sideways with Bush that's causing so many Repubs to offer verbal criticisms of the occupation, while at the same time refusing to vote to end the debacle or even take steps in that direction.

Rep. Heather Wilson is one of those doing just that. Despite abundant evidence of the failure of the occupation to achieve any sort of progress on the diplomatic front, Wilson continues to put party loyalty before reason. She said the reports by Gen. Petraeus represented "an important turning point in the war in Iraq." No doubt a similar desire to stay loyal to Bush caused Repub House leader Boehner to utter his infamous "small price to pay" comment about the buckets of blood being spilled in Iraq. Sure it's a small price to pay if you're not the one paying it. Sure it's OK to ignore the damning criticisms in almost every official report other than Petraeus' if you're not the one with your life on the line.

Other Republicans have made similar statements showing just how out of touch with reality they are in terms of what's going on in Iraq. Some examples:

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) compared Iraq to an Indiana Farmers Market: "There were thousands of people just walking the streets," he said. "It was very encouraging to me." [New York Times, 4/4/07] 

Mitt Romney said his sons weren't serving in the military because they were helping elect him: At a forum, Romney was asked if his children are in the military. He said no, but they are serving their country by working to get him elected. "It's remarkable how we can show our support for our nation," he said, "and one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected, because they think I'd be a great president." [NYT, 8/13/07]

After a visit to Iraq, Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) compared Iraq to the Mall of America: "It's absolutely huge. I turned to my colleagues and said there's a commonality with the Mall of America, in that it's on that proportion. There's marble everywhere. The other thing I remarked about was there is water everywhere. He had man-made lakes all around his personal palace - one for fishing, one for boating." [Star Tribune, 7/22/07]

Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) compared Iraq to a baseball game: "Imagine my beloved St. Louis Cardinals are playing the much-despised Chicago Cubs," began in a speech on the House floor. In his brief but impassioned oratory, Shimkus argued that the Democratic bill calling for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq was like the Cardinals abandoning the ballpark during a tied, extra-inning game. "Who wins? We know it's the team that stays on the field," he said. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/2/07]

Webb-Hagel Amendment
Perhaps the most dramatic recent example of Republicans being out of touch with the reality the troops are facing on the ground and in their repeated deployments is the defeat of the Webb-Hagel amendment in the Senate yesterday. Republican votes (including that of Sen. Pete Domenici) caused the defeat of the measure that would have provided members of our regular military, Guard and Reserve proper rest between extended Iraq tours. A reported it this way:

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), a staunch critic of the war who co-sponsored the Webb amendment, said Wednesday's outcome means Republicans will continue to stick with Bush for at least the rest of the year.

"It's stay the course, Part 2," said Hagel, an Army infantryman in Vietnam who earned two Purple Hearts, warning that some of his Republican colleagues running for re-election next year will soon face a "confrontation" between "a very unpopular war and self-preservation."

... Throughout the day, Webb, Hagel and other senators pleaded for the well-being of the troops. They noted a sharp rise in the divorce rate in military families; they pointed to alarming suicide rates and they recounted missed birthdays, anniversaries and first steps of young children.

"This amendment would provide a safety net to our men and women in uniform by providing minimum and more predictable time for them to rest and retrain before again deploying," said Webb, a Marine who was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam. [Webb also has a son serving in Iraq.]

Bottom Line: Look at recent polling. A large majority of the American people understand what's really happening in Iraq. They know a vote to stop the provision of adequate rest between deployments is much more telling than the party-first spin being spun by Republicans these days. Now's the time for action, not rhetoric. The American people demand it.

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