Thursday, January 11, 2007

On the Escalation plan...

John Edwards is asking you to sign a petition that will be given to Congress. The text of the petition is as follows:
I am opposed to President Bush's plan to send additional troops to Iraq. Congress must act now to block funding of Bush's escalation of the war — and demand that the President provide a plan to leave Iraq.
That said, I agree that the plan to send more troops is not just wrong for the people of Iraq but it's wrong for us as Americans. I've joined the Senator with my vocal opposition on the president's escalation plan.

Okay, this next part is not as political but if you remember last year, and I hate to bring it up again, but I created the worst comedy video ever. Anyway, SNL had another digital short last month and a spoof from Philly has popped up. Here's a link from an interview with the creator of "My Box in a Box." You can view the video here. As of press time, there were 581,325 views of the video on YouTube which is impressive.

Previously, I would have told you that we have no chance against Senator Mitch McConnell when it comes to the issue of his re-election chances. However, things have changed and I would say he is now vulnerable. Look at this, for example.
Kentucky's senior lawmaker, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell voiced unqualified support for the president's three-pronged approach.

McConnell said a "hasty retreat" from Iraq would guarantee "strategic failure" across the region and threaten U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait and Israel.

"The president should be commended for adapting to the reality on the ground in Iraq," said McConnell.
Democrats differed from McConnell in their response.
"This modest, short-term military increase of troops is not going to begin to address the long-term intractable political problems we are facing in Iraq," said Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky. "The president said it himself; this is more than a military problem. It is time for the Iraqis to assume control of their own country."

Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., newly elected to his first term, said he hoped to hear a new strategy for success, but instead heard a "repetition of the same failed policies."

"The escalation the president called for tonight is not a change of course, but the acceleration of an ill-conceived occupation," Yarmuth said.
Evan Bayh had the following to say.
"Only the Iraqis can make the hard decisions to save their country. For three years, we've stood by them in the hope that they would. That approach is not working, and the president's approach, in substance not rhetoric, seems to be more of the same. I will also be looking for benchmarks for progress, timelines for meeting them, and accountability for a failure to do so. Without this, the Iraqis will never do what needs to be done."

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