"Progressive Caucus Leads on Concrete Iraq Policy "

mcjoan:

While the Progressives have the best plan, it remains to be seen if it's the plan that prevails. House Democrats meet this morning to to discuss the proposal crafted by leadership. The plan will call for bringing troops home early next year while removing remaining troops from combat by October 2008.

Meanwhile, the Out of Iraq Caucus will unveil their own plan today as well. Theirs will specify that any any Congressionally-approved funding for the war to be earmarked specifically for withdrawal. In the "dear colleague" letter circulated by the caucus, they state

The fact is that you cannot "win" an occupation, just as there is no way for the United States to "win" an Iraqi civil war.

The Bush administration understands this, just as they understand that there are no pretty or clean options for bringing a responsible end to our policy there. They are content to mouth the words of victory while they try to run out the clock, playing a cynical game of political "chicken," where whoever acts to bring a responsible end to their failed policy will be accused of having lost Iraq....

But we must consider the very real cost of not acting. We are spending $8 billion a month occupying Iraq, with an average of 67 U.S. troops being killed and 500 being wounded. The cost to our security of having our military bogged down in Iraq indefinitely is unsustainable, and is not only sapping vital funds from efforts to fight global terrorism, but is strengthening jihadist recruitment efforts internationally. The longer we allow the administration to delay meaningful movement, and the longer we fail to extract ourselves from this quagmire, the more dangerous this failed foreign policy becomes to America and the rest of the world....

We have a responsibility to challenge the administration's efforts to run out the clock, and by proposing to intervene by fully funding a policy that actually fulfills our nation's long term strategic security objectives, we force them to defend their track record on the war, which is a debate that Democrats win every time.

While the progressives continue their effort at concrete, binding legislation on Iraq, they continue to face obstacles. At MyDD, Bowers pins much of the Democratic impasse on the Blue Dogs.

While gleefully using Republican talking points, Alan Boyd just bragged that the Blue Dogs killed Murtha's plan to do anything substantive about Iraq. If you brag that prevented Democrats from doing anything substantial about the war, then enjoy owning the Iraq war as well.

When you hear a Blue Dog say something like this:

"The war is the issue, but it's the president's issue, not ours...."

from Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK), you realize Chris is right. What a weasly, despicable approach to governing on the most important issue facing us today. No, Mr. Boren--Iraq is your issue. Your party was elected to the majority to lead, and to lead on Iraq, not to pass it off in some cynical game of hot potato. While obstructing real, concrete action on changing course on Iraq, the Blue Dogs are taking on ownership of this war. And the House leadership that lets the Blue Dogs call the shots on this one endangers taking it on as well.