Summary
The Senate's 81-0 vote on Friday to confirm Lt. Gen. David Petraeus as commander is just the latest sign of the intellectual incoherence of that chamber's approach to Iraq. Right now, anti-war lawmakers are afraid to act on their convictions and cut off funding right away, so they seem to have opted for a two-track strategy: on the one hand, approving some funds for the war so they can't be accused of hurting the troops that they claim to support, on the other, denouncing President Bush's policies at every opportunity regardless of whether such actions project weakness or embolden the enemy.
The unanimous vote for Gen. Petraeus a thoughtful advocate of President Bush's efforts to increase troop levels in Baghdad comes as many of these same lawmakers prepare to vote for a resolution which will likely come before the Senate this week which will denounce what Gen. Petraeus and President Bush are attempting to do: win the war. Passage of such a resolution (which appears to have overwhelming support) is utterly nonsensical if senators are serious about defeating the enemy. But such an action makes perfect sense for cynical politicians who have calculated that failure is certain and want to be in the most politically advantageous position after the United States is defeated in Iraq.See the full content of this document
Extract
The Incoherent Senate
The 81 senators who voted to approve the nomination of Gen. Petraeus (an excellent choice) include some...
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