Do republicans really support the "troops"?..........You decide
I am posting this story from today's headlines about the house of representatives passing a bill that would give the American service members as much time at home as they are deployed. The republicans and President Bush are saying they oppose the measure, which leads me to ask, WHY?
All of the hoopla they put out about how much they care about our men and women in the armed services and this is how their true colors look. I have said time and time again this group of people who are hi-jacking our country from under us care only for themselves.
In 2004 I sent an e-mail to George and I told him that he was not worth the dust off the soldiers' boots. Well, I will reiterate that today and I will include any republican congress member who continues to side with George over the men and women who serve this nation. They swore to defend the constitution of the United States, the least the United States could do for them is to give them the true respect they have earned.
America, it will take much more than just putting one of those stupid magnets on your car to really help the people who serve in the military. It will require us to show some true back bone and to stand up to this group of demagogues who are doing a very good job of destroying every thing our constitution and our country stands for.
Democrat-backed House bill requires more troop rest
By Noam N. LeveyTimes Staff Writer
5:19 PM PDT, August 2, 2007
WASHINGTON -- House Democrats on Thursday passed a measure to mandate more rest at home for troops serving in Iraq, putting more pressure on President Bush's management of the war on the eve of Congress' summer recess.
The legislation, which passed 229-194 with six Republicans joining virtually all of the chamber's Democrats to support it, stands little chance of becoming law.
A similar proposal sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., was blocked by Senate Republicans in July. And the White House on Thursday issued a veto threat against the House measure.
Throughout much of the year, Democratic Party leaders have promoted measures designed to start a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq . Two weeks ago, Senate Democrats spotlighted their effort with an all-night session before they cut short the debate when Republicans blocked a withdrawal measure. The Senate has put off further votes on the war until after Congress reconvenes in September.
On Sept. 15, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq and the U.S. ambassador to the country are to deliver a progress report on the troop buildup Bush began early this year.
In addition to reconsidering withdrawal timelines this fall, the Senate also might debate a proposal announced Thursday by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who is seeking her party's presidential nomination. Clinton's plan would require the Defense Department to regularly brief lawmakers on plans to redeploy troops from Iraq .
House Democratic leaders this week also decided to postpone votes on a troop withdrawal. But congressional Democrats continue to cast themselves as the champions of over-stressed military service members, many of whom have served multiple tours of duty overseas since the Iraq war began in March 2003.
The House proposal approved Thursday, sponsored by Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher, D-Calif., would prevent the redeployment of active-duty troops to Iraq until they had been stationed at home for the same period of time they served in the war zone.
The proposal would require three times as much rest at home for members of the reserves and National Guard. It also would allow the president to waive the requirements if he certifies to Congress that the troops are needed "to meet a threat to the national security interests" of the country.
"If we are honest about wanting to support our troops, there is no better place to start than to correct our troop rotation policy," Tauscher said during debate on the measure.
"Our deployed men and women are being taken away from their families in a revolving door of service," said Tauscher, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "And we are damaging the readiness of our armed forces to defend against future attacks."
Like its Senate counterpart, the proposal attracted a bit more Republican support than Democratic measures that set timelines for withdrawing troops. But the GOP remained largely unified in opposing Tauscher's measure, deriding it as a backhanded attempt to force a withdrawal from Iraq .
House Republicans also repeatedly criticized Democrats for trying to tie the hands of the military.
"We are fighting a war in Iraq which requires innovation, flexibility and experience," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a GOP presidential contender.
Hunter, who fought in Vietnam and whose son is an Iraq war veteran, said the measure would "put a straight jacket on our ability to deploy troops."
