In Perspective: Nonbinding resolution on Iraq finally passes in House

Friday 16 February 2007

Nonbinding resolution on Iraq finally passes in House

Amazing, all the fuss over a non-binding measure against President Bush's Iraq troop 'surge'. One minute the Republicans are scrutinizing the Democrats for restricting the vote to this resolution; the next they are saying how insignificant it is. They are contradicting themselves over the weight of the measure because they know it is politically symbolic and practically useless at the same time. They have been debating this resolution since earlier in the week.

The Senate's debate was clogged up by political and parliamentary junk from both sides of the isle. Earlier today I watched the slightly senile Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) saying how the Dems are being so mean now that they are majority. He must have forgotten the Democrats have had the majority for, oh, about a month and a half versus the GOP's eight year reign.

Washington Post:

Capping four days of passionate, often angry debate, the House delivered President Bush its first rebuke since the Iraq war was launched nearly four years ago, voting 246 to 182 to oppose the administration's planned deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops to Iraq.

Seventeen Republicans joined 229 Democrats to approve a resolution that expresses support for U.S. combat forces but opposes the additional deployments. Two Democrats opposed the measure.

Although nonbinding, both proponents and opponents predicted the consequences of the vote would be enormous as the debate came to a close yesterday with a crescendo. Democrats claimed it would begin to turn the political tide so decisively that the president will have to begin bringing U.S. forces home, while Republicans warned darkly that Islamic terrorists will be emboldened at the expense of not only American lives but also America's way of life.

The Republican argument is totally meant to scaremonger and use the element of fear and 'way of life' to captivate those ignorant enough to cave in. It has been used for the entiredy of the debate.

What does the passing of this resolution really mean? Further wedging between the Bush White House and Congress, as well as a morale fall for the GOP — though neither is set in stone.