Dark Bilious Vapors

Over at Main and Central, bulldog has a good post on the recent machinations in the House concerning Iraq withdrawal resolutions:

Well, it looks like the Republicans are claiming victory over the house vote for the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. And what a victory it was too. But for who? The House vote was NOT, I repeat NOT, the resolution that Congressman Murtha brought to the floor. The version voted on, with a final tally of 403-3, was actually brought to the floor by Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. Here's what was actually being voted on:

It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.

Notice how this doesn't look anything at all like Murtha's proposed resolution:

My plan calls:

To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces.
To create a quick reaction force in the region.
To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines.
To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq.

Doesn't even look close to what Rep. Hunter proposed. What it all boils down to is that the Republicans stage a stunt so they could generate a new talking point. Democrats say they want to cut-and-run, but when presented with a vote, they vote against it. See how they're all really just flip-floppers like John Kerry? The fact is that the stunt Hunter and his colleagues pulled in the House on Friday is just that: a stunt. If you read Murtha's entire statement (here) you'll see that he is not endorsing a cut-and-run policy as the Republicans have smeared him. He is advocating a smart, well thought out plan to remove our troops from harm's way and begin to try and stabilize the region. It is well-known that the intensity of the insurgency right now is directly linked to our presence in the region. Even US Commanders on the ground have said as much

Len on 11.21.05 @ 06:07 AM CST