Kennedy to Offer Legislation Against Escalation

Kennedy to Offer Legislation Against Escalation –updates below–

KENNEDY: The Iraq war resolution is obsolete today. Kennedy VIDEO at Press Club. Part II – Congressional action against escalation

No one should be shocked at these numbers.

Going into the speech, however, it is known that the American public in general opposes the concept of an increase in troops in Iraq. A number of polls have shown that when given a choice between a set of alternative ways of handling the troop situation in Iraq, only about 10% of Americans opt for the alternative of increasing troops. The rest opt for withdrawal of troops either immediately, within a 12-month timeframe, or by taking as much time as needed. (snip) A new USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Jan. 5-7, 2007, provides support for this possibility. The poll finds that only 12% opt for a troop increase using the traditional four-alternatives question, little changed from past polling. But the poll included a separate question that summarized a possible \”surge\” announcement, and found that 36% support the idea of such an increase, while 61% oppose it. Public Opposes Troop Surge by 61% to 36% Margin

Yet, Mr. Bush is on the path to push his aggressive excalation in the face
of little public support. In fact, members of his own party are skeptical, while Democrats
are against it. Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon offered the bottom line.

Mr. Smith, who delivered a speech on the Senate floor before Christmas saying he was at the end of his rope on Iraq, said: “What this sets up is a classic war powers confrontation between the White House and the Congress. Clearly he has the powers to commit troops; the question is whether the Congress has the convictions to deny funding.” White House Gears Up to Sell Plan for Troop Increase in Iraq

Senator Kennedy is laying it out today and later I\’ll be on a call with him,
right after a call with Speaker Pelosi (see update below).

Yet, the Times says the Democrats are \”divided.\” But any Democrat
who goes along with Mr. Bush\’s \”surge\” doesn\’t have the courage needed
to be in Congress. We got into this war because too many Democrats in the Senate
looked in the mirror before voting. Kennedy has it right, but is he in for a fight? A fight from within?

But Democrats who are trying to stop Mr. Bush’s proposed troop increase, a group led by Mr. Kennedy, say their proposal to block financing will apply only to new troops. Mr. Kennedy said he hoped that his legislation would be urgently considered by the full Senate, but acknowledged that it remained an open question whether his Democratic leaders would schedule it for a quick vote. “The importance of this legislation is that it will apply now before we could get the escalation,” he said. “If you wait, this thing is going to be past. I’m not sure that all of our colleagues in the Senate understand that, quite frankly.” Democrats Split Over Iraq Approach

The highlighted portion is troubling. Will Senator Harry Reid schedule Kennedy\’s
legislation? Will Reid do to Kennedy what he did to Senators Kerry and Feingold
when they wanted to debate Iraq war redeployment of troops? Will Reid schedule a quick vote on Kennedy\’s legislation against escalation? We\’re watching and waiting for
that answer. The outcome will telegraph a lot about Senator Reid\’s leadership and the fight we face on Iraq.

UPDATE (2:00 p.m.): I want to give you the bottom line from both conference calls I participated in earlier today. I\’m getting to this a bit late, because I\’ve been swamped. First, Speaker Pelosi was strong and emphatic. When the talk turned briefly to Senator Biden, Pelosi offered the bottom line. I\’m paraphrasing here, but it came down to this: Democrats need to understand that we are in the majority now. Hear that, senator? Repeat that twice and you\’ve got Pelosi\’s feelings on Iraq, especially.

As for Senator Kennedy, with a hoarse voice, because it had been a busy day for the senator, he stated plainly that the escalation is a non starter, but must be backed up with legislation, not just some Senate call that isn\’t binding. When the call was opened up to questions, I asked Senator Kennedy about the Times piece (shown above), which stated that a quick vote on his legislation might be tough to get. Part of his response was what I expected. Namely, that Majority Leader Reid was waiting for Levin and Biden to put forth their legislation, because they each chair the Senate Armed Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee, respectively. Then Kennedy said that to get it done he needs grass roots support. That\’s you. Email Majority Leader Reid and tell him you want a quick vote on Kennedy\’s legislation against escalation. Here\’s more evidence to back up why it\’s important: Congressional Limitations and Requirements for Military Deployments and Funding. The other thing that could happen is the demand for another resolution. Stay tuned.

UPDATE (11:52 a.m.): Going beyond Kennedy, I found this little item on Edwards, where he smacks McCain around again on escalation. It\’s a beauty that really is worth sharing in this thread.

Edwards said, \”Senator McCain is the leading advocate for escalating the war in Iraq against the advice of our military leaders, what I call the McCain Doctrine. Now, one of his top allies is attacking those generals and blaming them for the terrible situation in Iraq. That\’s outrageous. The failed Iraq policy lies squarely on the shoulders of the people who make that policy – the president and his Cabinet – and Senators McCain and Graham know that. Senator McCain should ask Senator Graham to apologize to the men and women of our armed forces who have done nothing but heroically serve their country while trying to carry out a broken policy set in Washington.\” He continued, \”Instead of scapegoating our military leaders, Senator McCain and Senator Graham should start listening to them. Escalating the war in Iraq sends exactly the wrong signal to the Iraqis and the rest of the world about what our intentions are there. We need to make it clear that we intend to leave Iraq and turn over the responsibility of Iraq to the Iraqi people. The best way to do that is by actually starting to leave.\” Edwards Statement on Criticism by McCain Ally Lindsey Graham of American Military