Comments on: More Bad Bets http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/02/17/more-bad-bets/ Summum nec metuas diem, nec optes - Marcus Valerius Martialis Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:47:23 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Former Republican http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/02/17/more-bad-bets/comment-page-1/#comment-55383 Former Republican Sat, 17 Feb 2007 23:52:24 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/02/17/more-bad-bets/#comment-55383 The way I see it, the Democrats know they are taking a political risk, but are doing it anyway, in part because of principle and in part to satisfy their base's demands. You may well be right that they will suffer politically. Me, I don't know. We have all had lessons on how hard it is to predict the future. How about the Republicans who are voting with Democrats on this issue? What's your explanation for Senator Hagel, Senator Warner, etc.? The way I see it, the Democrats know they are taking a political risk, but are doing it anyway, in part because of principle and in part to satisfy their base’s demands. You may well be right that they will suffer politically. Me, I don’t know. We have all had lessons on how hard it is to predict the future.

How about the Republicans who are voting with Democrats on this issue? What’s your explanation for Senator Hagel, Senator Warner, etc.?

]]> By: Gaius http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/02/17/more-bad-bets/comment-page-1/#comment-55367 Gaius Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:29:01 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/02/17/more-bad-bets/#comment-55367 Keep spinning for them. It won't work. They will suffer politically for this. Keep spinning for them. It won’t work. They will suffer politically for this.

]]> By: Former Republican http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/02/17/more-bad-bets/comment-page-1/#comment-55366 Former Republican Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:13:44 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/02/17/more-bad-bets/#comment-55366 The Democrats are doing "cheap, partisan political stunts?"? I disagree. A lot of Democrats and some Republicans think the war is effectively lost and that the only thing left to do is to minimize the damage to US interests. Most Republicans think (or claim to think) that the war is not yet lost. So we need a debate in the country. Right now American public opinion is incoherent. On the one hand, Americans are not willing to accept defeat. On the other hand, Americans are not willing to accept years more of combat. We need a debate to resolve this issue. We should have started the debate years ago. The Democrats are doing nonbinding resolutions right now to set the stage for serious debate. They are proceeding the way they are precisely to defend themselves against cheap, partisan political claims that "the troops in combat will pay the price." Claiming the troops will pay the price is just emotional rhetoric. Congress has the power of the purse and ought to be able to use it to cut off funding for the war, if that is the will of the majority, which it may well be in the near future. If Congress cuts off funding, it is a certainty that they will allow enough time for Bush to withdraw the troops in an orderly manner. So I don't see any danger to the troops, unless Bush intentionally leaves them in harm's way. The Democrats are doing “cheap, partisan political stunts?”? I disagree. A lot of Democrats and some Republicans think the war is effectively lost and that the only thing left to do is to minimize the damage to US interests. Most Republicans think (or claim to think) that the war is not yet lost. So we need a debate in the country. Right now American public opinion is incoherent. On the one hand, Americans are not willing to accept defeat. On the other hand, Americans are not willing to accept years more of combat. We need a debate to resolve this issue. We should have started the debate years ago. The Democrats are doing nonbinding resolutions right now to set the stage for serious debate. They are proceeding the way they are precisely to defend themselves against cheap, partisan political claims that “the troops in combat will pay the price.”

Claiming the troops will pay the price is just emotional rhetoric. Congress has the power of the purse and ought to be able to use it to cut off funding for the war, if that is the will of the majority, which it may well be in the near future. If Congress cuts off funding, it is a certainty that they will allow enough time for Bush to withdraw the troops in an orderly manner. So I don’t see any danger to the troops, unless Bush intentionally leaves them in harm’s way.

]]>