The Reid Joint Resolution builds on the longstanding Democratic position on Iraq and the Levin-Reed Amendment: the current conflict in Iraq requires a political solution, Iraq must take responsibility for its own future, and our troops should not be policing a civil war. It contains binding language to direct the President to transition the mission for U.S. forces in Iraq and begin their phased redeployment within one-hundred twenty days with a goal of redeploying all combat forces by March 31, 2008. A limited number of troops would remain for the purposes of force protection, training and equipping Iraqi troops, and targeted counter-terror options. A full description of the Reid Joint Resolution is attached to this release.
The Washington Post has more.
No doubt, Bush is yawning somewhere while the predictable response form the warbloggers is that this plan is the 'Democrats' Road Map For Terrorists'. That talking point just never gets old for them, does it? They have no idea how to get out of this clusterfuck but they're happy to attack anyone who even hints at a way to do that. Pathetic.
Meanwhile:
The day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq has recommended that the heightened American troop levels there be maintained through February 2008, military officials said Wednesday.
[...]
President Bush has often said that he will listen closely to advice from commanders in the field in making decisions about strategy and manpower in Iraq, but Pentagon officials emphasized Wednesday that no decision to extend the “surge” had been made. Military officials said General Odierno had provided his assessment to his superior, Gen. David H. Petraeus, who took over as the top American commander in Iraq this year. General Petraeus has yet to make a formal recommendation to the Pentagon.
[...]
“We’re looking, as we should, at each of the three possibilities: hold what you have, come down, or plus up if you need to,” Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.
"Plus Up". That's the new brand of Republican kool-aid.
When the Bush administration announced its troop buildup in January, it said it was sending 21,500 troops to Baghdad and Anbar Province. Since then, the Pentagon has said that as many as 7,000 additional support troops would also be deployed, including some 2,200 additional military police that General Petraeus had asked for to handle an anticipated increase in detainees. These increases would bring the total number of American troops in Iraq to around 160,000.
In other words, Bush seriously misunderestimated the number of troops needed for his little surge project. Is there anyone out there, besides the Plus Up drinking warbloggers, who actually believes he knows what he's doing anymore?
Update: In response to the Democrats' proposal, the White House was quick to issue a veto threat. Looks like that one is dead in the water.
Next?
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