Senator Webb on Lehrer report last night

[demnan]

Senator Webb has some brilliant and constructive things to say about the Iraq war. Wander on over to Raising Kaine and enjoy:


http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6600

[sandnsea]

1. Thanks for that

I disagree on the economic aspect, but this appropriations retrenchment is interesting. I wish I knew what that was exactly.

"With respect to the Kennedy proposal, I agree with Senator Kennedy that...it's basically what is called a retrenchment, an appropriations retrenchment. It is an appropriate power of the Congress to do that. It's very difficult to apply it to the situations that they are talking about right now. But I'll tell you one thing, I do not see myself voting for any more money for these reconstruction and economic projects inside Iraq when we've got places like New Orleans that haven't gotten help. I mean, we haven't been able to see a bottom line from the nearly half a trillion dollars that have gone into Iraq. Support the troops, yes. But the rest of this stuff? I believe that Americans believe in the free marketplace...Iraq is a very entrepreurial culture and they can solve a lot of these problems themselves."

[IndyOp]

2. Bookmarked! Thank you. And may I add...

That your Senator makes a very handsome avatar!

:hi:

[ludwigb]

3. In General, He Was Good

But I don't think he rebutted the GOP shill he was up against (Thune) solidly enough. He didn't really explain why continuing the war is going to do any good. He merely contended that Bush's tactics were mistaken. This is the wrong tact IMO.

If we doves continue to suggest that the "mission" is indeed a noble one, and that we merely need different tactics (less troops?), then we play right into their hands, because we make it look as if the GOP is the only party truly dedicated to a mission that we both agree should be done. Rather, we should argue that the war has always been mistaken and counterproductive to our interests, and that ending it is the surest way towards American security and a faster solution to Iraqi political problems.