Aug 16 2006
NPI brags as Cantwell blinks
NPI (Northwest Progressive Institute) has a piece up applauding Cantwell for her newly formed position on Iraq.
Maria, like Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman have long been criticized for their support of the war and the troops. Many northwest Liberals have been increasingly calling for hr head, politically speaking.
After seeing the treatment by Lieberman by the DNC, it seems Maria has suddenly realized that she is playing a big game of chicken with the party over her position, a stare down if you will against the rabid liberal Bush haters.
Monday, she blinked.
Oh, of course it is presented as a clarification, which is political speak for flipping, just as her statements on the minimum wage bill were not lies, they were nuanced.
Sen. Cantwell clarifies her position on Iraq
Senator Maria Cantwell yesterday clarified her position on the Iraq conflict, reaffirming her previous stance that 2006 must be a year of transition and that we need to begin the process of bringing American troops home.
Here’s what the Senator said yesterday:
If the Congress knew then, what we know today, even the Republican leadership would not have brought it to a vote.
Irellevant. Of course no one would.
If the Bush Administration had done the hard work of building an international coalition to really contain Saddam, there would have been no vote.
If I knew then everything that I know today and the Republican leadership still brought it up for a vote, I would have voted no.
And most people would respect that, but again, that is irellevant.
While mistakes were made in the way Bush took us to war, the Republican led Congress has not done its job of providing aggressive oversight of the Iraq war. In the days ahead, the Congress must use the power of the purse to hold the Bush Administration accountable for more progress towards beginning to bring our troops home this year.
We will always make sure our troops have everything they need to do their jobs well, but we will look at other cost cutting measures.
I am for changing the course in Iraq , my opponent is for staying the course. I oppose permanent bases in Iraq , my opponent does not share that belief. We do have different views of where to go next in Iraq.
In other words, Maria has joined the cut and run crowd, in a move that sure looks like appeasement to the Move-on crowd.
The Iraqis must take over responsibility for their own security this year.
Translation: I want a timetable.
This part is revealing…
Some months ago I wrote here of our concern that the Senator was not taking a clearer position on Iraq, that it was hurting her campaign, and expressing the hope that her position would evolve. And indeed, it has evolved - bit by bit.
Translated: Change or go home.
With this latest statement, Cantwell’s position on Iraq has improved over the last year or so from being murky and unknown to clear, sharp, and consistent with what the majority of the American people believe.
Translated: Now she agrees with us, so she is ok.
We applaud Senator Cantwell for reinforcing her position and making it absolutely crystal clear that she does not agree with the way the Bush administration is (mis)managing our incursion into Iraq.
Look, there is plenty of room for debate to determine improvement in the handling of Iraq. I have no problem looking forward and making sure we are moving in the right direction. No one is suggesting we should turn blind obediance to Bush on this. At least I am not.
But cut and run will not solve it. Running from the terrorists will not solve anything.
And refusing to stand on principles is never a good thing.
Maria….strike 2.
3 Responses to “NPI brags as Cantwell blinks”
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Presumably, if the Democrat leadership brought it up for a vote, then she would have voted “Yes”?
If it was a bad idea, it shouldn’t matter who brought it up for a vote…
"But cut and run will not solve it. Running from the terrorists will not solve anything.
And refusing to stand on principles is never a good thing."
1) Iraq has nothing to do with the terror un-war.
2) There is no such thing as a "principled" war.
3) Standing on a failed "principle" is foolhardy. People who refuse to alter their positions in the face of facts are known as bigots - in the original, correct sense of hte word.
4) Cut and run won’t solve it… Correct; but it will cut our losses. There is no good solution for this issue. Saddam was the only thing that held that mess together; short of another Saddam, it’s a lost cause. The "nation" of Iraq is in the process of being dismembered even now.
We made a disasterous mistake. We are losing. It’s a powerful proof of the absolute arrogance of the American mindset that so many can’t accept this. Leave and lose now or leave and lose later. Take your pick.
"But cut and run will not solve it. Running from the terrorists will not solve anything.
And refusing to stand on principles is never a good thing.
1) Iraq has nothing to do with the terror un-war.
Bullshit. more now then ever.
2) There is no such thing as a "principled" war.
Well since I never siad there was, cool.
3) Standing on a failed "principle" is foolhardy. People who refuse to alter their positions in the face of facts are known as bigots - in the original, correct sense of hte word.
In this case, it is a sea change, nothing more. Soon as the tide changes her values changed. If she wants to pander to Moveon and George Soros, and all the liberal lefties, fine, but dont expect me to respect it.
4) Cut and run won’t solve it… Correct; but it will cut our losses.
And the potential long term damage? Huge. Al Qaeda is counting on this, gloating over it. I see no reason to follow their expectations.
There is no good solution for this issue. Saddam was the only thing that held that mess together; short of another Saddam, it’s a lost cause. The "nation" of Iraq is in the process of being dismembered even now.
Oh pooh.
We made a disasterous mistake.
Not really. The timing was bad, but the end result was the same. Saddam had too many weapons programs in place or ready to go again, as the bahgdad letters prover. They also proved he had ties to AQ.
We are losing.
What a load of bull. the only people saying that are the ones who want us to lose.
Try talking to an army spec who was there, and ask him if there have been improvements.
It’s a powerful proof of the absolute arrogance of the American mindset that so many can’t accept this. Leave and lose now or leave and lose later. Take your pick.
I dont know why winning is such a foreign concept.