IRAQ: Webb Teaming with Hagel
Vietnam veterans to the rescue?
This is going to get interesting.
But Webb doesn\’t favor a timeline for withdrawal, as the Nancy Pelosi bill
passed by the House on Friday proposes, or capping the number of troops in
Iraq, as Hillary Clinton suggests. Webb wants a diplomatic solution, and he\’s
working with Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, a fellow Vietnam veteran and a friend
for 30 years, to come up with a bipartisan bill that would incorporate some
of what he calls \”the more workable points\” from the House bill
without unnecessarily tying the hands of the military. He wouldn\’t say much
about it—other than it\’s a work in progress as the Democrats try to
ratchet up pressure on President Bush to wind down the war.
Being a James Webb Democrat, so to speak, I\’m always interested in what the senator has
to say, especially when it comes to Iraq. Chuck Hagel mentioned pairing up with
Webb today on \”This Week,\” which got my attention, to say the least.
These two distinguished veterans have real weight in this discussion as far
as I\’m concerned, because in the end it\’s about saving America\’s military as
Bush
continues to ignore the American people and the Congress as if we\’re all
just an inconvenience for the king. Hagel put Mr. Bush on notice this morning
in no uncertain terms, as he\’s done before. The Constitution makes the executive
just another co-equal branch of government, not a super authoritarian position.
It\’s unlikely Attorney General Gonzales is competent enough to explain the differences
to our president. So be it. Webb and Hagel will.
As I\’ve written before, I don\’t believe Congress can play commander in chief. No one likes my interpretation, but it remains a fact as far as I see it. That said, the message sent by House Democrats on Friday is very important and offers a huge opportunity on which Webb and Hagel intend to build their push for a new Iraq policy. This confluence of events is significant. In
the coming legislation from Webb and Hagel we\’re likely to see the constitutional
reality to which I refer born out with what they intend manifesting in Iraq
policy, though Hagel was especially cryptic today on \”This Week.\”
By mid-week the Webb – Hagel Iraq solution should be clearer. However, one thing
is certain. Both senators plan on stopping the military collapse currently underway
through Mr. Bush\’s continued incompetence, which began under the 109th Republican Congress.
Hagel came late to this important executive branch intervention, but at least he arrived with ammunition. As for Webb, Iraq
was a major reason he rose up to challenge the sycophantic racist George Allen,
though clearly not the only one, because the economic divide in this country deeply concerns Webb, as it does all progressive Democrats.
The legislation from Senators Webb and Hagel could be a defining moment in
the U.S. Senate action on Iraq, maybe even a turning point. Depending on what comes forward from these distinguished veterans,
it could land a death blow to Mr. Bush\’s foreign policy adventure in Iraq that
everyone believes has no military solution. There are many signs that with last
week\’s important Democratic House victory vote, Webb and Hagel are going to
move it one step further into a reality that Republicans will eventually have
to swallow.
One sign that this might work is the news from pro Iraq war and anti-diplomacy hawk,
Senator John McCain, who has announced he will not meet his fundraising goals
for the first quarter, which was also reported this morning on ABC\’s \”This Week.\”
Juxtaposed against this sobering reality from McCain, one of the most vocal
Republican war Bushies left unless you count Joe Lieberman, is the fact that
there are rumors that Mitt Romney has exceeded his money goals. If you\’ve
been paying attention to this blog and especially my radio show you know what
I\’m going to say next, at least as far as Mr. Romney is concerned. I. Told.
You. So.
Stay tuned early in the week for the Webb – Hagel move on Iraq, which is inspired
by the devastating collapse of our U.S. military force structure that may turn
out to be the biggest national security nightmare in modern history. Remember
when it happened: on the Republicans\’ watch.
Comments are closed.