Steny Hoyer has openly dismissed Jack Murtha's "short leash" post-veto proposal and is now cheering with Republicans for benchmarks to hold the Iraqi government accountable (PDF). Is Hoyer smoking Blunts? Why else would he be agreeing with the Republican Minority Whip, rather than the majority of the American people who oppose this war and George Bush's handling of it? "Benchmarks" is Capital Hill speak for "no accountability and more war."
Democrats should be asking Steny Hoyer what he thinks they were elected to do in November. Call your representatives. Tell them to Just Say No to Steny Hoyer and his capitulation to George Bush.
The war is wrong and it is failing and the longer it takes Congress to hold the President accountable, the more people will die.
(Update: This is very time critical. Decisions are being made right now. If you can, please stop what you're doing to make those calls. Thanks! — Pach)
(Another Update, 12:15 PM EST: Nola Sue says, "Steny will be on Ed Schulz in a little while. Ed just announced it, but didn’t specify when. Here’s the show’s site to look for a station (and find a live feed?), or get a podcast after it airs." Not sure if you can call in, but if you can, please try.– Pach)
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JANE!!
I GOT THE ZERO!!
Good vibes sent to Jane }}}}}}
Jane!
No fair TREX, that’s insider trading…
Since Steny wants to support the republicans lets just send him a little note telling him to enjoy his last term in Congress.Him not wanting to do what the people wants is fine. We’ll just find somebody who will.
Hoyer is a DINO. He’s got to go.
Ego, Ego, Ego…Steny’s got to go!
Blunt is a corrupt embarrassment to the entire state of Missouri. Why Hoyer would agree with him is a mystery.
For those outside Missouri, you may not know that there’s a whole family of Blunts, including the current governor, Matt. The whole clan sees themselves as the next political dynasty, after the Bushes.
Angry Black Bitch, following the money, offers her thoughts on the Blunts, esp. Matt, including how this family is tied into the US Attorneys mess, pay-for-play nonsense, and she also includes a note that Matt’s apparently on Mitt Romney’s list of potential VPs.
To quote Christy, “Blergh.”
Of course Steny Hoyer is taking this line; it is what his masters have told him to do! Kucinich’s list says he got $120K for his ‘06 campaign, which is even more than Lantos — $112K , and Ms Pelosi $93K . All from A**AC, of course.
Whaddya expect!
Why is it that every time I see his name, I think “Stony Henyer?”
Can Nancy now say, “See, I was right about him all along?”
ok, so Hoyer’s site won’t let me email him, because i don’t have a Maryland zipcode. so, i called. so, his receptionist hung up on me. yes, doggies, i was polite. perhaps more of you could call his office. he needs to hear from citizens across the country.
Jane, you are a treasure. Everytime i open FDL and see your byline, i anticipate a good read. you always deliver. (That’s not to say i don’t love the others, too. Emptywheel this morning, wow!) and of course not to slight TRex’s zero.
Republicans are the new Communists. Hoyer is a pinko. A loyal Bushie pinko.
It’s pretty creepy. Pull up the PDF. It’s “bipartisanship” in the classic Joe Lieberman fashion, which means roll over and do what the GOP tells you to like a good boy.
This is the Steny Moyer who defeated Murtha for Majority Leader.
Ga @ 12
Thanks! That’s one….
Jane Hamsher @ 16
Well, they can’t hang up on a FAX.
Well, I called my rep about it – he’s about as doggy a blue dog as you’ll find (Matheson, UT-02), but maybe.
My senator is Hatch. Sigh.
Ga @ 12
I am boggled that the number two person in the leadership of the House Democratic party considers out-of-district emails to be spam. I am appalled that he has directed his staff to treat out-of-district phone calls as political telemarketing to be screened out.
I can understand how members of congress need to pay particular attention to the voters of their district. But when you serve in a leadership role, you need to be able to hear from everyone. Sort the email, by all means, but don’t shut out folks from everywhere but back home — because you’re going to need us, if you want to stay in a leadership role in the MAJORITY party.
And given the committee system, there also must be a way for voters to contact any member of Congress, to be able to address matters of concern relevant to that committee’s work.
Perhaps Nancy might want to look into this. Put it under the category of “transparency.”
My representative is Big Hank; may I pass on calling him?
Seriously though – shouldn’t this be grounds for kicking Hoyer out of the majority leader slot and putting in Murtha?
Jane Hamsher @ 16
Write Steny Hoyer via http://www.congress.org HERE
Everbody please MAKE THE CALL to Steny boy! We have to do more than just post comments. I made the call! I felt good to make his “People” hear from my voice of indignation for his Cow Towing to the Repigs instead of supporting Murtha>
This guy won’t–and can’t–compromise. Compromise is simply missing from his DNA. From AP:
My bold.
P J Evans @ 20
No, do not pass. Call him up, so that he can tell folks like Steny “Hey, my phone is ringing off the hook on this — you’ve got to get on board and quit bashing Murtha.”
If Hoyer won’t take calls from outside his district, the only route to get through to him is through your own rep. (And you might include that nugget when you call: “How is it that the Democratic Majority Leader can get away with refusing to listen to Democrats from outside his little district?”)
Beside Murtha’s plan and Steny’s, are there other approaches being discussed? Where is Pelosi on this? Who can give us a few words on the approaches being considered?
I joined the call-in campaign, and we all hope Stenny’s listening with the right mindset…
..only slightly, OT;
No freedom of speech for the troops-
New Army Rules Could Kill G.I. Blogs
The U.S. Army has ordered soldiers to stop posting to blogs or sending personal e-mail messages, without first clearing the content with a superior officer, Wired News has learned. The directive, issued April 19, is the sharpest restriction on troops’ online activities since the start of the Iraq war. And it could mean the end of military blogs, observers say…. The new rules require a commander be consulted before every blog update.
Shorter Stony: “Hey Junya, if I rollover, will you scratch my tummy? Lower is good too!”
I guess I’m just another “personae non constituent…”
Apparently you have to be from Hoyer’s district to email him online…
Steny will be on Ed Schulz in a little while. Ed just announced it, but didn’t specify when.
Here’s the show’s site to look for a station (and find a live feed?), or get a podcast after it airs.
That leaves me with trying to get a message to Hoyer through Kansas’ Moran, another “loyal Bushie” from the Delay mold, so I don”t imagine nmy message will get passed over the aisle.
Once again, I am getting that old “contacting them is sheer futility” feeling I first suffered in the early days of the Bush Administration, the same one that turned me into a habitual blogger…
In the end you have to come up with a bill that either Bush will sign or has a veto-proof majority. Sorry but that’s the reality for now.
Indications are that in September the Repugs will cave, That seems the best we can hope for
though Bush would probably issue a signing statement saying congress can’t micromanage the war. Sorry but this becomes all politics now until 08.
‘Pups, call your representatives. They need to be able to tell Leader Hoyer he is outta touch with their constituents and that they won’t follow him into the bipartisan maze of beg-Daddy-President-for-treats. Calling and emailing Hoyer might work if you are his constituent; otherwise please call, FAX, and email your Congresscritter.
Please let them know you back John Murtha’s short-leash proposal.
Nola Sue @ 29
Updated, up top. Thanks, Nola Sue!
Steny Hoyer’s FAX number is 202-225-4300
hard to believe unless hoyer has been blackmailed. perhaps there is a US attorney looking into his dealings?
this isn’t our country any more
Write Steny Hoyer via www. congress. org HERE
Peterr @
19
It is not so terribly easy to email Nancy Pelosi either for the same reason!
called my rep and hoyer. who else should i call? my dialing fingers are itchy to make more calls.
i found this bit from thehill.com helpful in making the calls:
p.s. when i called my rep’s office, i was told that the decisions are being made RIGHT NOW!
Completely off topic.
I know there are multiple scandals and secrets coming to light, but somebody needs to take a close look at what is going on with this whole funding, arms deals etc in support of Abbas against the DEMOCRATICALLY elected government of the Palestinian People.
The people running this little show have dirty hands and an hidden agenda (Iran Contra etc) so if somebody with more knowledge about this stuff should perhaps look into this?
http://conflictsforum.org/2007…..war/print/
Elliot Abrams’ uncivil war
January 7, 2007 @ 4:45 pm
Is the Bush administration violating the law in an effort to provoke a Palestinian civil war?
Deputy National Security Advisor, Elliott Abrams — who Newsweek recently described as “the last neocon standing” — has had it about for some months now that the U.S. is not only not interested in dealing with Hamas, it is working to ensure its failure. In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas elections, last January, Abrams greeted a group of Palestinian businessmen in his White House office with talk of a “hard coup” against the newly-elected Hamas government — the violent overthrow of their leadership with arms supplied by the United States. While the businessmen were shocked, Abrams was adamant — the U.S. had to support Fatah with guns, ammunition and training, so that they could fight Hamas for control of the Palestinian government.
While those closest to him now concede the Abrams’ words were issued in a moment of frustration, the “hard coup” talk was hardly just talk. Over the last twelve months, the United States has supplied guns, ammunition and training to Palestinian Fatah activists to take on Hamas in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank. A large number of Fatah activists have been trained and “graduated” from two camps — one in Ramallah and one in Jericho. The supplies of rifles and ammunition, which started as a mere trickle, has now become a torrent (Haaretz reports the U.S. has designated an astounding $86.4 million for Abu Mazen’s security detail), and while the program has gone largely without notice in the American press, it is openly talked about and commented on in the Arab media — and in Israel. Thousands of rifles and bullets have been poring into Gaza and the West Bank from Egypt and Jordan, the administration’s designated allies in the program.
Josh reports on John’s plan to defeat BusChen Senate shills…
That’s what I call putting up dollars to work for change. No small change at that!
maunga @
34
Thanks, maunga. Faxed him.
Treebark at 31. It isn’t about getting a veto-proof bill, but about sending so many bills that the public favors and then pointing to the vetos. PR, not politics.
Boxer and DiFi staff say they do not support benchmarks which the Iraqi’s have failed to meet time and again. Devin Nunez (AKA huge steaming pile of shit) on the other hand, does not have time to listen to left wing nuts who want to provide aid to the terrorists.
I repeat, guys, Steny works for someone else first, and he gets his calls from A**AC to know whether to wipe forwards or backwards!
JEP @ 28
Maryland zip codes
http://www.555us.com/555MD/555md_zipcodes.htm
treebark @ 31
Nope! Ain’t buyin’ it!
The correct framing of this ought to be:
Democrats firmly stand their ground and send the very same bill back to the Prince of Pampers!
Let Junya be the one who gets framed with the responsibility for cutting off funding for the troops.
All the Democrats have to do is keep repeating the meme that “Congress sent the Preznit a fully-funded appropriation for our troops. It is the Preznit’s choice to cutoff funding or not. He may not like his choices, but there it is!”
Gee whiz Junya, who knew Prezniting would be hard?
TeddySanFran @
32
Hey TSF, is there anything we Canucks can do to help this endeavor? Since the President seems to think he is ‘Leader of the World’, he should be willing to hear from us, yet seems quite unwilling to do so.
Jane, adding to the ‘Call your Representatives”, I would add, “Calling all Patriots in the Pentagon, CIA, FBI, NSA, Armed Forces and Military Intelligence … stand up for your country by holding this President accountable to Congress and all Americans. Come forward with evidence of any corruption and you will be heard. Zero hour is fast approaching.”
Guide these whistleblowers and support them, this is the only way to restore democracy in America.
OK I called Carol Shea-Porter… we should all be so lucky as to have her as our Congressperson.
If I read the statement from Hoyer’s office last week correctly (the one quoted/linked above) he said he was not inclined to support a two month incremental, he said nothing about Iraqi benchmarks did he? Hoyer’s statement post veto did not include his previous position so we can but hope that President Pelosi took him to the woodshed.
However as far as I can see Hoyer is no Progressive!
I called mine. The staffer stayed on the phone for a while and was very attentive, taking notes etc.
Call, dammit. Every vote we get means less watering down on a new bill.
Kerry calls ‘em “Roadblock Republicans“.
For background on Hoyer, see the Wikipedia bio.
Steny Hoyer Bio
Ga @
12
Sometimes to get through to a Congressperson or Senator on their site I find a zip code in that district/state. Usually can be found on the address of the office in the state.
Mad Dogs @ 46
Absofuckinglutely!!!
Tim Mahoney’s office had no idea what I was talking about. Maybe they thought I wanted to buy a ranch.
Not only does Hoyer think like Lieberman, looks a bit like him too.
Separated at birth?
I just called Nancy Pelosi’s Office and first I praised Her than I gave them a piece of my mind concerniing Hoyer’s capitulation to the repigs asking in Nancy would take action to control him. I think it might be better if we swarm her because Hoyer is acting like a Repig ignoeing us instead of a Democrat! She could certainly influence him better than we could. What do you all think?
WaPo’s take on Hoyer. From an article on November 17, 2006:
FREE FAX online.
treebark @ 31
Actually, the alternative (NO BILL) is fine with me! No Supplemental, No War. There’s money is the pipeline to start bringing our
TROOPS
HOME
NOW
Well, for what it’s worth, Barny Frank got a call.
Annoying. But I wouldn’t bother calling his office. Who’s in his district that will make a good replacement for him? I’m willing to send that person money right now.
The Democrats should be telling Shrub our first offer is our best offer.
Hoyer apparently believes in Rovian math -the 28% rules math
This is what I have sent Hoyer, and a couple of others, too!
To FAX number 202-225-4300
Dear Congressman Hoyer
I believe I am right that you are the Democratic Leader in the House, in which case, Sir, it is not acceptable that your office in the House should refuse calls from outside your immediate constituency, for you represent all Democrats, even all citizens, by virtue of being Leader of the majority party.
Your stance concerning the Supplemental Bill vetoed by the President and funding for the troops in Iraq without controls on the President’s actions is logical only if your position has been dictated to you by an outside party which does not have the same interests as the US.
It was never in the interests of the United States to invade Iraq, and it is even more important now that we withdraw more or less immediately, subsequently working hard to restore our badly-harmed position in the world in general, and in the middle East in particular. Your position as Leader should be to exhort all Democratic members to stand firm, to recruit Republican members, and then to send the President the same or an even stronger Bill.
It was always more important to close down Al Qaeda and thus to focus on Afghanistan, with strong focus on the growing power of China and resurgent Russia close behind.
Responsible leadership by you is called for.
cc Congressman Frank 202-225-0182
Congressman Woolsey 202-225-5163
Congressman Pelosi 202-225-8259
Congressman Lantos 202-226-4183
maunga @
44
I agree and it doesn’t quite add up if you look at his bio and his congressional district. Does any know why Steny and A***C seem to be BFF’s?
Steny also lives quite well in Southern Maryland on a Congressional salary. (A separate observation from above)
AFAIK no congresscritter’s district site will take e-mail from outside it. The committee sites ought to allow it; if they don’t, that’s something to let Nancy know about.
I’d suggest trying to find a mailbox place in whatever district you’re trying to access, and use that address and zipcode. (They’re not likely to check that closely, I think.)
To be fair maybe Hoyer didn’t know the goopers aren’t even with Shrub anymore. We could chip in and get him a subscription to the SF Chronicle
GOP lines waver after veto of war bill
GOP lines waver as Bush kills war bill War bill vetoed — GOP lines waver
Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau
treebark @
31
In the end, yes. But there are a lot of different ways you can get there. I’d favor sending the timeline bill to Bush once a month, let him veto it, and then send him a bill for one month’s worth of emergency funds. It will take the Republicans far less than a Friedman Unit to realize that Bush will STILL be fucking up Iraq in November of 2008, and they’re not going to want to have fifteen votes on the record enabling it all.
Frank Probst @ 61
or you could call his office and tell them this is what you are going to do.
there’s not reason not to do both.
waiting for elections in 2008 does nothing to get our troops home or end the occupation before then.
OfT (sorry)
The C-Span crawl at the bottom says that Sec. Rice is refusing to comply with her subpeona.
Perhaps Henry could offer to let her testify on a Sunday morning – she LOVES to talk on Sunday mornings.
And, in the House, argument has just begun as to w/n to override Bush’s funding veto.
House discussion of veto.
I just got off the phone with my Rep from Mo and Pelosi’s ofice. Told them to either send the same bill back or to go with Murtha’s proposal for a 2-month incremental bill. And told them that I was absolutely opposed to Hoyer’s “benchmarks” and caving in on this issue. Both offices took my info and said they would pass it on.
Re Rice — if true Henri should send round the Sergeant instanter!
Debate on CSPAN now. Dave Obey on.
There is a debate now on C span regarding the Veto over ride.( Obey is speaking now)
Also on my site.(Click for expediency) there is link to contact your reps just be clicking on a map..viola there are your numbers. We Must stop this killing in our name. We must stop this madness. We need to let the Reps in both houses,we will not stand for this. And We also need to let the Dems know that being owned by A**P*C is not acceptable..Dial it up DOGS.
Is David Obey unwell, or is that quivering voice due to the anger he feels at this moment in American history?
maunga @ 37
Nancy has two official websites – one as the Rep for CA-08 (San Francisco), and another as Speaker of the House. At the speaker’s site, there’s a contact form that anyone can use.
No idea if this has already been mentioned today (I haven’t had time to sort through all of this morning’s posts), but I couldn’t resist this. From the WaPo’s article on the US Appeals Court ruling in favor of John Boehner (R-Ohio) over Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) on releasing information prejudicial to Boehner to the media back in 1996:
Can we get that in writing?
Peterr @
76
Thank you!
Will any Democrat stand up and say. “Stop this President from abusing our troops!”
Frame the argument in this light – America V Bush, Troops V Bush, Patriots V Bush, etc.
Ileana on–yikes!
Petrocelli @ 79
And the Iraqi people.
maunga @ 72
Maybe the Sarge-at-Arms could wait for her outside Bashar Assad’s door.
She’s awful, simply awful.
‘The Ed Schultz Show’ call in number 1-877-934-6833
on line streaming links here.
discussion of the funding bill for iraq war/occupation now. from the link:
wouldn’t it be great if hoyer got some calls directly from us?
Biodun @ 80
Ileana on–yikes!
“advocates of defeat”.
beeyotch.
If it weren’t for the wingnuts losing their screws, one would wonder if we’re actually making progress. But there is tension in Red Blogistan… Two calls for military coups in the last two days…
Yesterday…
Today …
When I relayed the first comment yesterday, the comment got snagged by the filters. I don’t expect the increased vehemence to alleviate the headache today.
Long live the Mods!
I’ve contacted my representative and requested he support the veto override OR support the next bill presented with verifiable/measurable benchmarks allowing the US soldiers to leave harm’s way and let the Iraqi people take care of themselves.
Given the identity of my congress critter, I’m not holding my breath on either of those occurences happening.
Ros-Lehtinen got $93,900 from A**AC!
Nuff said.
c-span – pelosi is up!
Nancy on.
If the Dem’s #2 Congress-guy is spouting the Republican line, that should tell you all you need to know about the Democratic Party’s official (if unstated) view of the war.
Go for it!
Nancy: Bush as candidate thought Clinton should have timetable for troop withdrawal from Kosovo, where no American soldier was lost.
Ed Schultz doesn’t take the progressive blogosphere very seriously but for some reason thinks the right-wing bloggers hold all the cards on this one with their unified talking points, blah, blah.
Spalpeen Hammer @ 90
Now would that be a glaikit spalpeen, then? Me I’m a mixture of lallans thug and teuchter.
Nancy: We’re substituting our judgment for your judgment, Mr. President.
Pelosi: the president faces consequences of his own making
Spalpeen Hammer @ 91
Not true, that tells me Hoyer’s view. Kucinich and many others are very much against this war. Please do not paint the entire party as pro war because of the opinion of one or a few.
Bio on Lleana Ros-Lehtinen:
Bio of Ros-Lehtinen
Nancy: This is the 7th supplemental for this war in Iraq.
GIVE ‘EM H*LL NANCY!!!
Nancy: This is the fourth surge they have proposed.
Way to go, CNN — tout broadcasting chipper’s speech this morning…then during Speaker Pelosi’s remarks in the House, pre-empt her for some oh-so-important Republicans-on-the-mall commentary.
Nice fair and balanced. NOT.
Nancy: Let’s keep our focus on what the war on terror really is.
Jerry Lewis calls Nancy a young lady…
What defeat? We toppled Saddam.
Bushies are framing withdrawal as defeat. Ending an occupation is not a defeat!
America does not invade, occupy, and/or exploit, right? I mean, I remember someone saying that on the USS Lincoln.
Nobody can answer these questions:
Who is “the enemy”? and don’t say insurgency.
What is the new strategy? Don’t just tell me we have new personnel.
Who in the current administration is willing to ship out their own family members to fight this necessary defeat of evil? Don’t tell me about your NG parties.
Shez @ 58
This is great but it won’t let me fax to Hoyer’s fax number. Did anyone else have a problem or is it operator error on my part. Thanks
I’d rather watch the old and fat Jerry Lewis on his telethon than this corrupt imbecile.
Lewis: blah blah undermine the commander-in-chief
Jerry Lewis–some name, eh?
FDL Professor in Residence LHP is upstairs with “Some pre-Comey legal reseach for you all“
Rep Jerry Lewis up:
Would you buy a used car from this man? How does he keep that suit on while he oozes slime from every pore?
This Jerry Lewis sure ain’t funny…
20602 is the MD office zip.
just sayin’
blahblah walk away from our men and women in uniform
“Our failure to learn the lessons of history”? Is he joking? Who’s not learning from Vietnam.
Thanks Peterr…
The highly inarticulate Jerry Lewis…
I take Political Points for saving the troops over Corporate Points in abusing the troops.
Gosh, JL is awful!
Have e-mailed Miz Nancy, and called my worthless Senators. My congressvarmint is John Carter (R-Mars) who is not totally in touch with this planet.
Blah blah blah “scoring political points” blah blah blah. I wish someone would get onto the news every day and list and ridicule all the current repiglican talking points.
Hoyer!
Hoyer on CSpan
Condor @ 121
I’d careful about how you pronounce that.
Hoyer indeed!
If you say you are from Waldorf 20602, you can email OUR majority leader.
spurious @
120
I’m frankly surprised that one of the Dem. front runners are not doing this to get ahead of their competitors. It would be an easy way of scoring political points.
Hoyer: spurious @ 120
ain’t no one got that much time
I must say, i’m liking what Hoyer has said so far.
Hoyer smacks down repugs!
Hoyer at least *sounding* good…
I’m also very satisfied with Hoyer’s speech.
someone tell Zach Wamp that cheney himself said that for every terrorist eliminated, four more rise in his place. So let’s make the threat bigger?
Rep. Wamp
“Europe is basically lost”
huh?
Wamp: put the troops above the party
exactly now follow your own advice
Zach Wamp: “Europe is lost”
Brainwashed fool.
And we don’t need another Wamp.
sofistic @ 123
Just the first syllable will do.
Steny Hoyer did not do too badly.
Lewis is VV dumb — “The lesson of history” was written by Sir Arnold Wilson in about 1926 — he laid out that what Bush/Cheney have done for the last four years did not work then, either! He had 130,000 soldiers (they did not need such a ‘tail’ in those days) when there were but 2.5 million Iraqis!
Solai @ 91
i’m willing to give it a try if i’m near the computer when hoyer comes on.. but i am hoping for some firepups more articulate than me will also try…
I think we should ‘move on’ from the current Funding Bill, Georgie Boy vetoed it… Let him… it will come back and haunt him very soon…
Put this ‘3 step plan’ in a stand alone Bill and sign it from ‘We The People’,
It is short and to the point.
Yep, present this one next ……
http://justworldnews.org/archives/002321.html
Posted by Helena Cobban at January 8, 2007 02:16 PM
(1) The President makes an authoritative public statement in which he announces,
(a) His firm intention to pull all US troops out of Iraq by a date certain, perhaps 4-6 months ahead;
(b) An assurance that the US has no lasting claims on the land or resources of Iraq;
(c) An expression of the US’s goodwill towards the people of Iraq, and its sympathy for all the harms that they have suffered in recent years; and
(d) An invitation to the UN Secretary-General to oversee the process of negotiating all the modalities of the US troop withdrawal, including the formation of an Iraqi negotiating team of his (not the US’s) choice, and the convening of a parallel negotiation that involves Iraq, the US, and all Iraq’s neighbors.
(2) The clock starts ticking on the timetable announced by the President. That fact and the other new diplomatic realities created by his announcement all act together to start transforming the political dynamics within Iraq, the region, and indeed the US, as well. The Iraqi parties and movements all have a powerful incentive to work with each other and the UN for the speedy success of the negotiation over the post-occupation political order. They and the UN also start planning for the many tasks of social, economic, and political reconstruction that the country needs. Another important function for the UN will be to resurrect and re-stress the principle of Iraq’s territorial integrity and national soveriegnty against all the pressures that its powerful neighbors may exert in this fragile period. In these months the US troops in Iraq might come under some form of UN command (as happened– imperfectly, but with ultimate success– during an analogous process of a negotiated troop withdrawal in Namibia, in 1989.) But anyway, the US troops’ main mission in this period will be to organize and start implementing their own orderly departure from the country.
(3) On the date certain the last US troops leave Iraq and there is a handing-over ceremony.’
Dreier’s body language showed that he himself did not believe what he was saying!
Burton up:
On behalf of all sane Hoosiers, we *really* apologize.
Blunt up
“He can’t veto reality”
!!!
Blunt is a loyal Bushie all the way. But he said ” We have had 90 days of debate” about Iraq. That is the point and at least the Democrats have kept the debate going. The more debate in Congress, Blogistan, C-Span, and anywhere else, the better. This is the only way to keep the Bush Crime Family on the run. Firedogs, WE ARE WINNING !
Frank33 @ 145
After six years of rubber stamping, 90 days of debate is not anything to be proud about.
I phoned Pelosi, Hoyer (had to phone twice) and my own repub, Manzullo, for what it’s worth. Also wrote http://www.congress.org. Here’s a toll free number for congress: 800 828 0498 to anyone else who wants to make calls.
Hoyer is beyond stabbing us in the back. Will try to listen to him on Ed’s show. Unfortunately, Ed doesn’t get it lots of times, must be his republican background clouding his judgement. A few weeks ago he was going on and on about what a great guy Russert was, and what a tough interviewer russert was. Geese….
peterr at 76 thanks for the pelosi-anyone-can-write site!
i sent a letter to charlie wilson to be forwarded to hoyer……and then one to pelosi thanks to peterr
Dear Rep. Hoyer;
I live and vote in Athens, Ohio. I read that you are agreeing with Republicans on benchmarks instead of a pull-out date. This worries me…..The American People voted overwhelmingly last November to END THIS WAR.
That is a part of your job, to end the war. And as a leader in Congress, it is even more so.
A bill was sent to the president with funding, he vetoed it, that is his perogative. Providing benchmarks instead of a pull-out date is joining with the Republicans, and I can’t believe it is an option in your mind.
It isn’t in mine.
Sincerely,
Yeesh, why is the first option at the site a choice to tell congress to let Bush have free reign in Iraq…is that an official gov site?
what the?
Neil @
21
Russ Feingold statement
The ink on the President’s veto is barely dry, and already, a lot of Washington insiders – including some Democrats — are saying Congress should just give in to the President. Never mind how hard people have pushed to bring Congress to this point, when we are finally standing up to the President’s disastrous Iraq policy — they want to give up on the binding language in the bill requiring the President to begin redeploying troops from Iraq.
But that’s just letting the President have his way all over again. That’s the kind of thinking that got us into this war in the first place, and it’s not going to cut it anymore.
We can’t keep giving in to this Administration on Iraq. Every time the Administration gets its way, it means that our troops will remain stuck in the middle of Iraq’s civil war, and our national security will continue to be undermined. With so many Americans demanding that our involvement in this war come to an end, backing down is not the answer. No one else should die in Iraq to give political comfort to dealmakers in Washington.
I won’t support a supplemental spending bill that doesn’t have binding language to redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq. There’s a lot of talk right now about Democrats getting the President to sign a bill that only has benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet. But we’re long past the point when just setting benchmarks was enough. Even if funding for the Iraqi government is conditioned on it meeting those benchmarks, that misses the main point — which is that, whether or not the Iraqis meet their benchmarks, we need to get out of Iraq so that we can focus on the national security threats we face around the world. And if those benchmarks aren’t binding, then they are nothing more than suggestions. The American people aren’t asking us to offer suggestions to the Iraqis — they are asking us to bring our troops out of Iraq.
I cant get the link to work. The rest at Huff Post
lolo at 107
it wouldn’t take mine either, i went another route.
dmac @ 151
it wouldn’t take mine either, i went another route.
ok thanks!
I haven’t read all the comments yet.
What would happen if Congress chose NOT to take further action on this Supplemental Spending Bill? Is that even a possibility?
Would that alter GWB’s position?
Don’t know if this thread is still live, but I called my local Congressman’s office, and had the staffperson email him my remarks directly TODAY (good guy…Steve Israel, L.I., N.Y.). I’ve also written to Senator Schumer, just in case this heinous nonsense should make it to the Senate. I would send a backup email, but they took my name and address on the phone…
Hope CREW and the folks at TPM who worked so hard to destroy Murtha’s bid for majority leader all take a long hard look in the mirror.
And hope they spend the next several hours on their knees, retching.
Blood, blood, blood – Iraqi, Afgani, American.
More blood and gore in Iraq – a proud legacy for CREW and the TPM crew so eager to sink Murtha’s Majority Leader bid.
As a former MD resident for 25 years, I can say with complete calmness and certainty that Steny Hoyer is as consummate an establishment player as you will ever find. He’s always been totally useless in any other context. There’s no “there” there.
We are so fucked. For all the hoopla about a goddamn “sea change,” all I see are Democratic legislators cowering before Bush. As things stand now, I will not be voting in 2008.
So you need a MD address to contact this maroon? MAKE ONE UP, for God’s sake! Google the name of any city in MD and get the damn zip code.
By vetoing the Bill, he ripped up the check and threw it away. Don’t send another Bill over.
John H. Farr @
156
Call Hoyer up and tell him this.
My congressman is Duncan Hunter…what a waste.
Hoyer’s my Congresscritter, so I called his office and let them know where I stood: no watered-down bill, no backing down. No giving Bush a leg to stand on when he says this was just political theatre.
Hoyer’s office is asking for actual street addresses of callers. (Can’t blame them.) Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties are entirely in Hoyer’s district. Go to the MD real property database and grab yourself an address.
Sneaky, huh?
Why does Rep. Hoyer hate privacy?
Why won’t Rep. Hoyer need to keep tabs on constituents who disagree with him?
What will Rep. Hoyer’s office do with this pesonal information?
Is the House Majority Leader maintaing an enemies’ list – of his constituents?
RT @
162
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
When wanting to contact a Representative, you merely look up their own mailing address in their state. THEN you use that for your own mailing address. It allows you to send your emails to the Rep. His Fax number is:
202-225-4300. His address is: 401 Post Office Rod, Waldorf, MD, 20602-1964
[Mod Note; as a general rule, we discourage publishing addresses in the comments, but have confirmed this is one of Hoyer’s local office addresses.]
Steny Hoyer was (perhaps still is)connected to VoteHere, which has a connection to Diebold. For more information:
http://www.worldproutassembly……eplac.html