Author Topic: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News  (Read 5372 times)

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Offline JakeJZG

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Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« on: August 02, 2007, 05:34:10 AM »
Quote
Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could Split House Democrats on War

By Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writer and Washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Monday, July 30, 2007; 6:26 PM

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to press for a timetable to end the war.

Clyburn, in an interview with the washingtonpost.com video program PostTalk, said Democrats might be wise to wait for the Petraeus report, scheduled to be delivered in September, before charting next steps in their year-long struggle with President Bush over the direction of U.S. strategy.

Clyburn noted that Petraeus carries significant weight among the 47 members of the Blue Dog caucus in the House, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats. Without their support, he said, Democratic leaders would find it virtually impossible to pass legislation setting a timetable for withdrawal.

"I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the course and if the Republicans were to stay united as they have been, then it would be a problem for us," Clyburn said. "We, by and large, would be wise to wait on the report."

Many Democrats have anticipated that, at best, Petraeus and U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker would present a mixed analysis of the success of the current troop surge strategy, given continued violence in Baghdad. But of late there have been signs that the commander of U.S. forces might be preparing something more generally positive. Clyburn said that would be "a real big problem for us."

Clyburn's comments came as House and Senate Democrats try to figure out their next steps in the legislative battle. Clyburn said he could foresee a circumstance in which House Democrats approve a measure without a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces, which has been the consistent goal of the party throughout the months-long debate. But he said he could just as easily see Democrats continue to include a timetable.

Clyburn also address the reasons behind declining approval ratings for Congress, which spiked earlier in the year when Democrats took over the House and Senate. The most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed just 37 percent approving of the performance of Congress.

"Remember right after the election it went very high on approval,?" he said. "Then all of a sudden people saw that we were not yielding the kind of result that they wanted to yield."

He said most Americans still do not know some of the domestic legislation that has been approved. Fewer understand that, despite Democratic majorities in both houses, that it takes 60 votes to pass anything legislation in the Senate.

Clyburn noted that while overall approval ratings of Congress are low, people still rate Democrats higher than Republicans. "People feel good about the Democratic Party, they just don't feel real good about the Congress itself."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/30/AR2007073001380_pf.html
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Offline pmp6nl

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2007, 10:52:44 AM »
well...

Just do something?
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Offline JakeJZG

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2007, 03:54:59 PM »
As much as the first chunk of the Iraq war was squandered and misused, I believe that this is a genuine and mostly successful attempt to correct these issues.  I don't see anything against what friends and aquaintances of mine on the ground out there are saying.
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Offline pmp6nl

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2007, 04:05:14 PM »
I am trying to figure out why we always have to go in and "correct" everything.  We automatically think our way of life is the correct way of life.

People over there have been killing each other for thousands of years, what makes us think we can change it?

I say focus on all of our domestic issues first.
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Offline JakeJZG

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2007, 04:43:27 PM »
Corrections are merely a part of warfare!  Lincoln went through Gens. Burnside, Halleck, McClellan, McDowell, Pope, and Rosecrans before finding Grant, Sherman, Sheridan and Thomas...to quote the afromentioned writer.  The reason to invade is fairly clearly outlined by the Project for a New American Century - to spread (in many ways, war if necessary for national defence) democracy and western style human rights in life and government to secure the security an way of life of the US.  This was an extension of that.  We can change it because it's possible for any people to live with human rights, and it is by far not one of the most difficult things to be attempted in history.  Many could argue that this has very direct influence on domestic issues.  That is another arguement!
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Offline pmp6nl

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2007, 08:33:41 PM »
Well I meant correct in the terms of "fixing" Iraq.

"Democracy and western style human rights"
... Do we honestly believe as a reasonably intelligent nation that it is simply that easy.  Does it simply take some westerners, a war, and a "special" government to change how people believe... I dont think so.  If we really want to make them believe like us it will take generations, if ever.  The adults of today will not simply change the things they believe and the children will be hard to impression as much as we would like.  Despite what we and they believe in regards to "we are here to save them" we are still the people that came into their homes and towns killing people and blowing things up.  That is not something they will easily forget.

Of course let us not forget that they may pass these sentiments along to their children, who knows where it will stop.  You cannot think that it is as simple as putting in a new government, the people have lived and experienced their way of life for years.  Look how hard it is for freedom loving Americans to change their ways of life... people that already know and love some freedom.

---

Does having them believe like us really secure the way of life in the US?  I dont know, let us not forget how many Americans kill other Americans and others...

---

If we really want to secure our country and take care of domestic issues how about securing our borders, cleaning up poverty, reducing crime, improving education... making sure the citizens of the United States are in fact taken care of (I do believe it is part of their job).  Tell me how many more people die from crime with in the United States compared to terrorist attacks by foreigners?  Let us not forget all of those people that die from poor health, lack of food and many other things.  I would be more worried about my children being kidnapped then being attacked by a foreign terrorist.

The whole terrorists are going to attack thing as underlying tones.  Have you not noticed that people are becoming afraid of everything.  The Treat Level thing (dont get me started on that) goes up a level and people freak out.  Some person says so and so group may attack and people become panicked.  Everytime something bad happens (IE: the bridge collapse) they are so quick to point out it wasnt a terrorist attack; dont you think this is feeding into our psyche and making the whole terrorist thing worse?
 So many people are living in a state of fear and it is just not right.  I know we must remain vigilant, but we must not live in fear... for that is what terrorists want... hell look up the definition of terrorist.
Just because they are not attacking and killing us does not mean they are not doing what they want.  They want us to live in fear and the media is not helping out on that front.

Note that I am all for helping out others (other countries and its people) in need, but we cannot continue to neglect the people of this country. Just take a look at http://www.nationalpriorities.org (I know its only one source..)

I could go on and on, but I will not.

Just remember:


"Those who would give up liberty for safety shall have neither"

- Ben Franklin

« Last Edit: August 02, 2007, 08:38:43 PM by pmp6nl »
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Offline Sal Atticum

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2007, 09:18:27 PM »
If we can clean up our own mess, we can be representatives to the world again:  "Look at the Americans--they are so happy and free!"
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Offline ajekt

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2007, 09:35:35 PM »
If we can clean up our own mess, we can be representatives to the world again:  "Look at the Americans--they are so happy and free!"

We cant do that, that is a good idea.
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Offline JakeJZG

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2007, 09:37:17 PM »
There will always be messes, there will always be war, and government will always move towards policestate dictatorships.
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Offline ajekt

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Re: Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could be Bad News
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2007, 09:39:55 PM »
There will always be messes, there will always be war, and government will always move towards policestate dictatorships.

of course that does not mean its right.
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