The Republicans today filibuster an Amendment offered by Jim Webb of Virginia (Former Marine, son is Active Duty as we speak) that would make it a requirement that the troops get as much time at home as they do in Iraq. Right now Bush is killing our troops by keeping them in Iraq for 18 months, and them giving them only 12 or less back home… This amendment would have given them as much time home.

Data point 2932 that the Republicans don’t give a shit about the troops. They also do not give a shit about family values, because how can you expect our troops spouses to remain happy in the marriage when they are gone 60% of the time.

The vote was 56-41, Webb, and the troops, needed 60 for it to pass.

The troops should think twice before they vote Republican, because Republicans HATE YOU!

What the hell have we become… Bush will not even allow the funerals (By the way, the number of funeral attended by Bush of an Iraq Vet, ZERO!)

NY Times (bolds are mine)

‘They are basically asking me to stand in front of a unit before I go out with them and say that in the event that they are wounded, I would like their consent,” he said. “We are already viewed by some as bloodsucking vultures, and making that kind of announcement would make you an immediate bad luck charm.”

“They are not letting us cover the reality of war,” he added. “I think this has got little to do with the families or the soldiers and everything to do with politics.”

….Until last year, no permission was required to publish photographs of the wounded, but families had to be notified of the soldier’s injury first. Now, not only is permission required, but any image of casualties that shows a recognizable name or unit is off-limits. And memorials for the fallen in Iraq can no longer be shown, even when the unit in question invites coverage.

So it is being reported that it is unlikely that any of the stated goals for the surge will be meet. I guess that leave only the unstated goals, but those are secret. I suspect they are something like: bilk a billion dollars from US Treasury Department, Create more chaos so that [fill in contractor name here] can steal, and also give Republicans more ammo to scare Americans into voting for them… So my thought is this, if the military is saying that we CAN NOT win, and the goals laid out by Bush when he jammed this surge down our collective gullets, will not be meet. The Democrats have have failed us, they have shown that will take it in the most dirty of ways, then why are we there? I think every life lost from this point out is murder. Why wait for the report, bring them home NOW!!!!!

The LA Times Has More.

U.S. military leaders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that most of the broad political goals President Bush laid out early this year in his announcement of a troop buildup will not be met this summer and are seeking ways to redefine success.

In September, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, is scheduled to present Congress with an assessment of progress in Iraq. Military officers in Baghdad and outside advisors working with Petraeus doubt that the three major goals set by U.S. officials for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki will be achieved by then.

Enactment of a new law to share Iraq’s oil revenue among Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish regions is the only goal they think might be achieved in time, and even that is considered a long shot. The two other key benchmarks are provincial elections and a deal to allow more Sunni Arabs into government jobs.

With overhauls by the central government stalled and with security in Baghdad still a distant goal, Petraeus’ advisors hope to focus on smaller achievements that they see as signs of progress, including local deals among Iraq’s rival factions to establish areas of peace in some provincial cities.

Well it is the day after Memorial Day, and 8 US Soldiers died in Iraq while we were at our Bar-B-Q’s, the 8 deaths 10 deaths are “making May the deadliest month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq.” God Bless them, and may Bush’s War in Iraq be over by the next one, we can hope.

UPDATE: 10 Deaths, Washington Post Reports

May 26, 2007
Dublin, Ireland

Dear Democratic Congress,

Hello, my name is Cindy Sheehan and my son Casey Sheehan was killed on April 04, 2004 in Sadr City , Baghdad , Iraq . He was killed when the Republicans still were in control of Congress. Naively, I set off on my tireless campaign calling on Congress to rescind George’s authority to wage his war of terror while asking him “for what noble cause” did Casey and thousands of other have to die. Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, I have lost my optimistic naiveté and have become cynically pessimistic as I see you all caving into as one Daily Kos poster called: “Mr. 28%”

There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damaged soldiers and the people of Iraq to more death and carnage. You think giving him more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands.

Ms. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said after George signed the new weak as a newborn baby funding authorization bill: “Now, I think the president’s policy will begin to unravel.” Begin to unravel? How many more of our children will have to be killed and how much more of Iraq will have to be demolished before you all think enough unraveling has occurred? How many more crimes will BushCo be allowed to commit while their poll numbers are crumbling before you all gain the political “courage” to hold them accountable. If Iraq hasn’t unraveled in Ms. Pelosi’s mind, what will it take? With almost 700,000 Iraqis dead and four million refugees (which the US refuses to admit) how could it get worse? Well, it is getting worse and it can get much worse thanks to your complicity.

Being cynically pessimistic, it seems to me that this new vote to extend the war until the end of September, (and let’s face it, on October 1st, you will give him more money after some more theatrics, which you think are fooling the anti-war faction of your party) will feed right into the presidential primary season and you believe that if you just hang on until then, the Democrats will be able to re-take the White House. Didn’t you see how “well” that worked for John Kerry in 2004 when he played the politics of careful fence sitting and pandering? The American electorate are getting disgusted with weaklings who blow where the wind takes them while frittering away our precious lifeblood and borrowing money from our new owners, the Chinese.

I knew having a Democratic Congress would make no difference in grassroots action. That’s why we went to DC when you all were sworn in to tell you that we wanted the troops back from Iraq and BushCo held accountable while you pushed for ethics reform which is quite a hoot…don’t’ you think? We all know that it is affordable for you all to play this game of political mayhem because you have no children in harm’s way…let me tell you what it is like:

You watch your reluctant soldier march off to a war that neither you nor he agrees with. Once your soldier leaves the country all you can do is worry. You lie awake at night staring at the moon wondering if today will be the day that you get that dreaded knock on your door. You can’t concentrate, you can’t eat, and your entire life becomes consumed with apprehension while you are waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Then, when your worst fears are realized, you begin a life of constant pain, regret, and longing. Everyday is hard, but then you come up on “special” days…like upcoming Memorial Day. Memorial Day holds double pain for me because, not only are we supposed to honor our fallen troops, but Casey was born on Memorial Day in 1979. It used to be a day of celebration for us and now it is a day of despair. Our needlessly killed soldiers of this war and the past conflict in Vietnam have all left an unnecessary trail of sorrow and deep holes of absence that will never be filled.

So, Democratic Congress, with the current daily death toll of 3.72 troops per day, you have condemned 473 more to these early graves. 473 more lives wasted for your political greed: Thousands of broken hearts because of your cowardice and avarice. How can you even go to sleep at night or look at yourselves in a mirror? How do you put behind you the screaming mothers on both sides of the conflict? How does the agony you have created escape you? It will never escape me…I can’t run far enough or hide well enough to get away from it.

By the end of September, we will be about 80 troops short of another bloody milestone: 4000, and MoveOn.org will hold nationwide candlelight vigils and you all will be busy passing legislation that will snuff the lights out of thousands more human beings.

Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so “other presidents” can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.

It used to be George Bush’s war. You could have ended it honorably. Now it is yours and you all will descend into calumnious history with BushCo.

The Camp Casey Peace Institute is calling all citizens who are as disgusted as we are with you all to join us in Philadelphia on July 4th to try and figure a way out of this “two” party system that is bought and paid for by the war machine which has a stranglehold on every aspect of our lives. As for myself, I am leaving the Democratic Party. You have completely failed those who put you in power to change the direction our country is heading. We did not elect you to help sink our ship of state but to guide it to safe harbor.

We do not condone our government’s violent meddling in sovereign countries and we condemn the continued murderous occupation of Iraq .

We gave you a chance, you betrayed us.

Sincerely,
Cindy Sheehan
Founder and President of
Gold Star Families for Peace.

Founder and Director of
The Camp Casey Peace Institute

Eternally grieving mother of Casey Sheehan

And the Democrats are going to send Bush a blank check? Are they okay with signing it in the blood of our soldiers?

itv

Seven US soldiers were killed in four separate attacks - mainly roadside bombings in Iraq on Tuesday.

The US military confirmed three were killed and four were wounded in the single worst attack when their patrol was hit by “multiple improvised explosive devices”.

Elsewhere, at a press conference held in Baghdad, US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell confirmed that the Iraqi police have found a body that may have been one of the missing soldiers.

Maj Caldwell said that they were yet to confirm the body’s identity and that families would be contacted before details released to the media.

Why are we there again? Why are the Democrats going to hand Bush a blank check on this failed cluster fuck? Nine are dead in the past 48 hours, over 80 troops dead this month so far.

Long ago there was an event, it happened sometime around Sept 11th, and it was real tragic. Some guy went to war with the US, and we went to war with him. Then Bush wanted to go to war with Iraq, and we did not care anymore. The tragic event went unpunished…

From Reuters via Yahoo (bolds are mine)

An anti-U.S. Afghan rebel leader said he had information that Osama bin Laden is alive but keeping a low profile by not issuing statements, according to a video aired on Sunday.

The al Qaeda leader’s long silence has fuelled speculation that the world’s most-wanted fugitive may have died.

“Based on information I have, I believe Osama is alive,” said Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, whose forces operate in southeastern Afghanistan near Pakistan, in the undated video broadcast on Al Arabiya television. His remarks were dubbed into Arabic.

“I also believe that it is good that he … does not appear in the media, and that it is wise that no statements or tapes are issued even after a long while,” said Hekmatyar, without elaborating.

Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister, is on a U.S. wanted list and leads an insurgency separate from the Taliban Islamist movement against the Afghan government and foreign troops under the command of NATO and the U.S. military.

From ThinkProgress 

On April 11, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that tours of duty for the Army would be extended from 12 months to 15 months, effective immediately. In exchange for the extensions, soldiers would receive at least a year home between deployments. This rest time was intended to “provide some long-term predictability for the soldiers and their families…particularly guaranteeing that they will be at home for a full 12 months,” Gates added. Watch it…

But Gates has not kept his promise. Stars and Stripes reports:

The Army is sending a company of Europe-based soldiers back to Iraq before the unit has had a full 12 months of “dwell time,” or at-home rest.

Members of the 1st Armored Division’s 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, Company A, learned Tuesday that they are scheduled to head back to Iraq in November, just nine months after the 150-soldier company left the combat zone in February after a 13-month deployment.

A recent Pentagon report concluded that soldiers on extended and repeated deployments “were more likely to suffer acute stress, and that mental health problems correlated with higher rates of battlefield misconduct.”

When asked yesterday about this nine-month deployment, Gates simply replied, “I’ll be very interested in finding out more about that.” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman’s response was that “there are some people, just by the nature of transferring units and things like that may not end up with the full 12 months.”

According to Whitman, the 12-month rest period between deployments “is a goal,” not a guarantee.

Bush said he would veto the still forming Iraq war funding bill if it is not exactly what he wants, period. The Democrats, who are in control of the House and Senate are crafting a bill that would fund the troops for a very short time, and then leave open the door for them to choose not to continue funding beyond a set point.  Bush said he will veto it, even if it means that the troops will be in harms way.

You see people are missing the point, Bush’s point. This funding has NOTHING to do with the troops, their equipment, their welfare, or anything. If that were the point, Bush would have made sure years ago that those things were taken care of. They are not, so this is not about that, what this is about is Bush’s desire to keep the doors to the treasury wide open for the countless contractors that are stealing billions. This is why he will choose to HURT the troops by vetoing the funding the Congress has passed for him, because he had NO DESIRE at all for this quagmire to end. He will resist ANY effort to end it because he has no feelings towards death, and his buddies are getting rich beyond belief.

Bush has chosen again to use the troops as pawns for his game, HE will allow, not the democrats, to go without because he can not let this war end. He would rather YOUR children die on the streets of Baghdad because they mean nothing to him, they are just fodder that take the fire as contractors rape the nation dry. Bush will not leave Iraq until they pass the “Oil Revenue Sharing” bill that he is forcing on them, that will give US Oil companies exclusive rights to their oil for the next 30 years, our troops are just a thorn in the side, and as far as Bush, and the Republicans are concerned, if they do without, so be it.

it has been a rather deadly weekend for our troops in Iraq, this weekend 12 of our brave men will not be coming home in the same manner in which they were sent. Eight soldiers were killed today, 4 yesterday, and 28 this month, keeping in mind the month is only six days old.  According to Bret Hume of Fox News this Sunday morning this is to be expected, that sending more troops into a civil war means more will die, and to point out the increase in troops deaths is un-American and the terrorist when, you know the same crap Fox News than spouting for the last five years.

As much as I believe they will fold under the nonexistent pressure of rhetoric, I wish the Democrats would keep sending President Bush the same bill they sent him last week.

Interestingly, House minority leader John Boehner said on Fox news Sunday that the GOP’s patient with the president’s war plan is not unlimited, and if things don’t change by this fall they will think about maybe doing something to save our troops from the nightmare that Bush has sent them to.  You know the bill that Bush just vetoed requested the troops are pulling out at October, and if I recall Octobers in the fall.  Little does Boehner know key in the Democrats are on the same page.

On May 1, 2003, President Bush stood underneath a “Mission Accomplished” banner and announced that “Major combat operations have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.”

Here’s a by-the-numbers look at the situation then, compared to the situation now:

ThinkProgress Points this out

George W. Bush was governor of Texas. Then, Bush criticized President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo.

George W. Bush, 4/9/99:

“Victory means exit strategy, and it’s important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is.”

And on the specific need for a timetable:

George W. Bush, 6/5/99, Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

“I think it’s also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn.”

Despite his past statements, Bush now refuses to apply the same standard to his war and smears those who want a similar timetable for Iraq.