Video: Reid ducks reporter’s question about genocide in Iraq; Update: Warner, Lugar want new AUMF; Update: Anti-war attack ad added
posted at 1:50 pm on July 13, 2007 by Allahpundit
Via the mighty wingmen of BTN. I mentioned this exchange in last night’s post about the House vote but you have to see it to believe it. Pitiful.
Michael Yon told Hugh Hewitt yesterday from Baghdad that he’s finally starting to believe the surge is working. Gen. Mixon shares his opinion and thinks Diyala might be secure enough to allow for a gradual partial withdrawal starting in January — but half the forces would have to remain for another year or 18 months to support the Iraqi Army if things go well. How workable is that time frame? Baker-Hamilton, the likely compromise plan, calls for total withdrawal by the end of 2008 and even if Bush convinces Congress to give Petraeus as much time as possible, the extended tours of duty for surge troops end in April.
Iraqi leaders are worried about the timetable too but wonder what we would have them do — make a deal they’re unhappy with just to be able to say they’ve made a deal, which will then be rescinded and turn into war the moment we leave anyway? Exit question: Isn’t a forced compromise at least marginally better than a pullout with no compromise at all? At least in the first case you’ve got something to try to build on.
Update: Wow. I assumed they were going to try to force Bush’s hand by tacking on amendments to the spending bill. No thanks, say Warner and Lugar — we want a whole new war statute. That’s potentially a big deal because it might encourage Congress to be much more aggressive in its demands. Think of it as analogous to revising the tax code via amendments versus rewriting the tax code from scratch. You’re likely to end up with more dramatic changes in the latter format than the former because you’re working on a blank canvas. Quote:
[A]nticipation for the Warner-Lugar plan has quietly built all week, particularly among the Republicans who have called for a new course in Iraq. The senators said lawmakers from both parties have expressed an interest in endorsing the plan, although it remained an open question whether it went far enough for several Democratic critics.
Update: Simple but effective.
Blowback
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Not quite as catchy as “peace in our time,” but it’s got the same flavor.
Slublog on July 13, 2007 at 1:57 PM
Gawd I hate that bastard.
Griz on July 13, 2007 at 2:00 PM
I am both amazed and extremely frightened that tools like this have been put in positions of power.
Kowboy on July 13, 2007 at 2:00 PM
I remember when I was just a boy, my father put me on his knee and conveyed some wisdom that I will always remember, “Never trust a talking cadaver.”
volsense on July 13, 2007 at 2:01 PM
Reid’s thinking: How dare you ask me a question that makes me think about the terrible consequences of my actions…
Zach on July 13, 2007 at 2:02 PM
I tried to think of a better word, but pitiful pretty much sums it up.
What arrogance.
BacaDog on July 13, 2007 at 2:04 PM
‘Talking cadaver’ is good…hairy reed is so disgusting…there has never been a poorer leader in my lifetime…what a waste of skin…remember Nevada…you get what you vote for…
areseaoh on July 13, 2007 at 2:04 PM
They are fixing to get a response. The Vets for Freedom are going to Washington DC on Tuesday July 17, 2007 and make their voices known to congress. The organization is made up of veterans of the GWOT. More Info here.
They need help getting the word out on such short notice.
LakeRuins on July 13, 2007 at 2:05 PM
If surge supporters are serious they ought to add this theme to every speech, every constituent meeting they have over the summer, every interview. Force it to be a major topic that the press can’t avoid.
Are you prepared to remove our troops and launch a potential genocide of men, women and children in Iraq?
That, and continue to push good news. I saw Tony Snow said yesterday that he intends to use the Whitehouse website to post facts, rebuttals and progress in Iraq. It does feel, as Yon said, we are turning a corner.
JackStraw on July 13, 2007 at 2:06 PM
Well the real answer is he doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to think about it, now on to the culture of corruption, smearing R’s and consolidating power for the Kos wing of the Donk party.
Fatal on July 13, 2007 at 2:06 PM
As much of a POS Reid is, it’s almost become expected of him. He’s douche ranking seems to go up by his actions on an almost daily basis these days.
Anyway, I’m not sure if you got my email AP, perhaps you just didn’t have the same interest in the story as I do… but ladies and gentleman, here’s another installment of Modern Democrats:
http://www.wnd.com:80/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56656
The nation’s first Muslim congressman (wait, am I only allowed to mention he’s a Muslim if I’m writing a wire story that will make him look good?) manages to compare the Bush administration to Nazis, while at the same time he toes the line of Trutherism and sanity. It seems that he turns back from the Truther path he was wandering down though, simply because he doesn’t want to be branded a “nut-ball” or be “dismissed”… Doesn’t that last quoted statement indicate, if not for concerns over being labeled that way, he would lean Truther?
RightWinged on July 13, 2007 at 2:07 PM
Not even if you paid me (or reimbursed me for my 19” flat panel monitor when I put my fist through it).
On-my-soap-box on July 13, 2007 at 2:08 PM
Did you see the sh#t-eating grin on Chucky in the background?
I want to lock that man in a room with Mark Levin for just one hour….
unamused on July 13, 2007 at 2:11 PM
Huh, I thought dissent was the highest form of patriotism.
Oh wait, that’s only when it’s dissent that Reid agrees with. Never mind.
Bigfoot on July 13, 2007 at 2:12 PM
My question…
The Dems say they want to leave troops in Iraq to train, support and fight Al Q…
Uhhh… just how many troops does it take to fight JUST Al Q??? And just HOW do you decide in the middle of a firefight if its Al Q or some Shiite or Sunni seperatist?
Enquiring Military Minds want to know!
Romeo13 on July 13, 2007 at 2:15 PM
Dis is nawt a debayt!!
You tewwum Hawwy!
thareb on July 13, 2007 at 2:16 PM
Levin and Schumer. Thunderdome. 2 man enter…
Zach on July 13, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Reid: “Screw the Iraqis”.
jaime on July 13, 2007 at 2:21 PM
We all feel that way. That thought is usually followed by something like, “if things continue this way, this country is finished.” That’s just wishful thinking, imagining that our problems are really in the future. The unpleasant reality is that we already are where we fear we are heading. Next question is, what is likely to occur as a result?
JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 2:23 PM
If the press was interested in actually doing their job the next question would have been, “Sen Reid, will the Iraqis be safer if we leave?” and that question should be asked by every reporter until he gives an answer.
KelliD on July 13, 2007 at 2:23 PM
Frankly, I wish the President and the Republicans would take that play from Reid’s playbook. When hounded by the MSM, why shouldn’t Rep’s say,”that’s my answer. This isn’t a debate. We’ll let the voters decide if they like it or not.”
JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 2:26 PM
Is it really??? Of course it’s hard to get it out of the MSM. Did you see him get all pissed off?! They can’t stand being asked questions that they have no answer for.
4shoes on July 13, 2007 at 2:27 PM
“This is not a debate, we’re answering questions”
Just not that one. Heh.
BadgerHawk on July 13, 2007 at 2:34 PM
I’ve seen him get pissed off more times than I can count. He has always struck me as a piss-ant little sh*t, the kind who tore off butterfly wings and tortured animals as a kid. We’ve all known people like that, and it is no surprise at all that they gravitate to positions where they can hide behind the defenses of others or some institution. He’s a petty and pathetic little figure who could only rise as far as he has in a society in decline.
JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 2:35 PM
Again, God Bless Michelle and Hot Air-even though partisan politics never has an off season anymore, Democrats who see the weak leadership they have elected must be embarrassed every time Reid opens his mouth. Or dodges legitimate questions.
Doug on July 13, 2007 at 2:38 PM
NOT A CHANCE! You give them credit they do not deserve. Reid’s job is to destroy the Bush presidency. He does that splendidly, as you will probably have to admit.
JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 2:43 PM
He will not debate the truth or answer anything that will fore tell the truth. He is a born lier and he wont admit it.
Next Book, “The Killing Fields of Iraq” produced and directed by the Democrats.With special appearance by Reid, Pelosi, Murtha, & Kerry.
By the way JiangxiDad. May I ask about your user name? Only curious because I worked and Dalian, China for a year and a half. I knew many people named Jiang.
BobK on July 13, 2007 at 2:44 PM
The thing is that Reid WANTS the Iraqis to fall into chaos because then he can point more to ‘Bush’s failure’.
Democrats aren’t interested in anything but making Republicans look bad. . . and sabotaging America in the process.
ThackerAgency on July 13, 2007 at 2:46 PM
Reid is an insurgent. He may dress differently and talk differently, but he is nevertheless an insurgent doing everything in his power to undermine the war effort and destroy the country. He is also a leader of the Democrats who are nothing more than soldiers in his insurgent army.
rplat on July 13, 2007 at 2:53 PM
My kids were born in Jiangxi
JiangxiDad on July 13, 2007 at 2:55 PM
But it also makes it more subject to veto, and more importantly, one that wouldn’t get overturned.
armylawyer on July 13, 2007 at 2:56 PM
Harold, Harrison, Harbinger, whatever the fuck your name is, we can all see it in your face.
You know EXACTLY what will happen.
And you don’t give a damn.
MadisonConservative on July 13, 2007 at 3:01 PM
There is no way they can get this past a (guaranteed) veto.
Sure it’s treasonous and all, but that’s not the issue. The liberal argument is a seductive one: Wars, like everything else in life, should be fun and easy or they should be stopped.
Bush apparently only likes to emphasize the positive: For example, how incredibly freedom-loving the Shiites and Suni’s are. There’s only one minor problem with all those wonderful happy thoughts: they don’t have anything to do with reality.
Unless you’re an expansionist Socialist, you don’t fight wars just to get cheap oil. Free people fight wars for the opposite reason: to AVOID something incredibly BAD.
Fred Thompson has said Republicans need to spend the last six weeks before the election talking about absolutely NOTHING except what would happen if the Democrats did what they say they want to. Iraq would end in the same way that Vietnam ended: Totalitarianism, genocide, and an expanded base of operations for our enemies.
It’s stupid to ask Americans to vote FOR a war; we need to stop doing that crap, and remind Americans what we are voting AGAINST.
logis on July 13, 2007 at 3:04 PM
Damn, I need to quote Cicero again
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself” [Marcus Tullius Cicero]
Thanks for the reply JiangxiDad. Very thoughtful on your part.
BobK on July 13, 2007 at 3:08 PM
Why is this bonehead Majority Leader? Is he the best the Dems can muster? God help us. Him, Hillary and Pelosi,what a Country. I guess with all the influence illegals bring, the US now has the government we now diserve based on our aggrigate mentality.
And people wonder why we need to get a handle on our population.
saiga on July 13, 2007 at 3:08 PM
Congress seems determined to pay back the American people for defying them on the amnesty bill. I guess they are gonna show us who is boss.
LakeRuins on July 13, 2007 at 3:17 PM
For once, a reporter asks a valid question related to the issue, and Reid shuts him down.
What a hack.
Maybe we need to remind them who’s really boss (at the polls).
Miss_Anthrope on July 13, 2007 at 3:20 PM
Ahhh.. but you see they really don’t WANT this to pass…
If Bush can veto this, the Dems can say “see?? we tried… we just need a Dem President and this wouldn’t happen…”
Its all about appearance, not actual change….
Just like the bill itself… how do you “leave enough troops in place to battle Al Q??????”
Romeo13 on July 13, 2007 at 3:29 PM
Hey, can they do that? If so, then maybe the people would like to go back and redo the last election too, and vote differently this time.
Bacchus on July 13, 2007 at 3:36 PM
Reid being a douchebag aside, his answer to the question (“do you think the Iraqis will be safer?”) was satisfactory. He wasn’t being asked about genocide.
It’s not the US soldiers’ job to police Iraq.
On the other hand, the US is not in Iraq [only] to police Iraqis.
AlexB on July 13, 2007 at 3:36 PM
Ancient Political Pig in Perpetuity proverb say:
He who not want debate, know he incapable of debate, or fear truth.
There’s a reason that Harriet Reid doesn’t want to debate – it will either expose his ignorance, or it will force him to truthfully answer the questions.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 13, 2007 at 3:42 PM
Democrats – We’re bringing the war home
Hening on July 13, 2007 at 3:43 PM
Harry The Ried is a prime candidate for some good old fashioned abmush journalism.
- The Cat
MirCat on July 13, 2007 at 3:48 PM
Proposal: take 100 soldiers, stationed in Iraq, who have developed unusually close relationships with the local Iraqis that they have risked their lives to help and defend, and assign to each of them a U.S. Senator.
Then, when the Senate prompts our surrender and evacuation, and their little Iraqi friend ends up with their head on a pike in Baghdad, turn their assigned Senator over to the soldier.
Discuss.
Jaibones on July 13, 2007 at 3:54 PM
This whole “new course” chorus is really ticking me off. We ARE taking a new course, remember Senators? You had General Patreaus in front of you spelling out this new course. You confirmed him to follow this new course. You jerked around on the funding but now that this new course is finally being implemented you need another “new course.” WTF?!?!
KelliD on July 13, 2007 at 3:54 PM
I’m really impressed with Chuckie’s skills as a ventriloquist! You couldn’t see his mouth move until the very end.
When the presser was over I could picture him putting the dummy back in the suitcase. “That’s all for today Mr. Wooden Head.”
kjspeedial on July 13, 2007 at 3:55 PM
If Reid thinks he can score future points for when a Dem president goes hat in hand to AQ to negotiate, he’s dead wrong. Islamists respect men of strong resolve, which is partly why they released the Teheran hostages the same moment Reagan was sworn in as President in 1981. It was more than fear of what RR would do, it was a clear slap in Carter’s face–no question of the timing there.
OBL and his murderous minions love being given pass after pass like this. They can almost count on US concessions in the future, and a blind eye to whatever they might do until then.
I fear we’re going to lose this war, but only because of Reid and his Democrat Fifth Column.
As MLK said decades ago, nothing is more dangerous than willful ignorance or conscientious stupidity.
Liam on July 13, 2007 at 4:26 PM
Gawd I hate that bastard.
I second that that emotion!!
Btw, does anybody else think that Harry has a certain serial killer/clock tower wacko ‘quality’ about him?
Or is that just me?
Teddy on July 13, 2007 at 4:45 PM
http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon2007-07-12vdh.html
Well according to the NYT’s genocide is actually acceptable.
Suz on July 13, 2007 at 4:46 PM
My exit question would be for Lugar and Warner.
Q: Stephen Biddle, senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, who was in Iraq in March and April, recently wrote in the WaPo that proposals like yours make no sense militarily. And — with the eception of Harry Reid, most concede that withdrawal would be a disaster for Iraqis. Trying some illusionary middle strategy will not placate Democrats or protect Republicans in 2008, and moderates won’t support the downward spiral Biddle suggests would result. So who benefits from your proposal?
Karl on July 13, 2007 at 5:10 PM
this calls for Harry Plotter and the Prisoner of Abu Gharaib
Egfrow on July 13, 2007 at 5:12 PM
Will the readers of this site who are from Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, Nebraska, Tennesse and New Mexico, please offer reassurances that at the eariest possible moment (Republican primary), Lugar, Warner, Voinovich, Hagel, Alexander and Domenici will be voted out? Every time I see a report about Lugar, Warner, Voinovich, Hagel, Alexander and Domenici, I want to beat the h3ll out of them.
Phil Byler on July 13, 2007 at 5:48 PM
That weasely putz knows the answer but doesn’t want to put a juicy sound bite out there for the opposition to shove in his face. He knows there will be a massive genocide. How Democrats can ignore that makes no sense to me. They want to run to Darfur and stop a genocide we didn’t cause while causing a much bigger one.
clghitis on July 13, 2007 at 5:52 PM
“Senator Surrender” is another of the hundreds of examples for the need for term limits.
In the meantime, how about we refer to the dems as the “Genocide Party”.
How about another question? Since your party is so proud of what they did in Vietnam(aprox. 5 million dead after we left), how many million dead is the “Genocide Party” shooting for in Iraq? 10million? 15million? I mean, it’s obvious that 5million dead men, women and chidren’s blood on your hands is not enough you or your party wouldn’t be trying to do it again. I’m just sayin.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
paratisi
paratisi on July 13, 2007 at 5:54 PM
Harry the undertaker couldn’t give a straight answer.
That was one of the best jobs of avoiding a question I’ve seen. Only a lib can get away with calling a qestion
a debate. What a dork ! And schumer looks like he’s
ready to jump in and add to the non-answer.
They should be put in irons sent to Gitmo.
Texyank on July 13, 2007 at 7:53 PM
Ditto on the Cicero quote and Von Clausewitz on War also is a good source where he refers to the fact that there is no withdrawal with an announced date until victory is complete with anniliation of the enemy physically or it’s capitulation. As for Mssrs Lugar and Warner… they can go to hell. IMHO.
MNDavenotPC on July 13, 2007 at 8:04 PM
Simple but effective indeed.
BadgerHawk on July 13, 2007 at 8:16 PM
It’s obvious this traiter can see the consequences if his actions succede, but, it’s all about the seats.
Oh, good to see he still has his Schumer bobblehead.
oakpack on July 13, 2007 at 9:25 PM
Reid and Schemer, wasn’t that an old Vaudville act? What was with Schemer in the background biting his lip? This wasn’t amusing by any means. Or peossibly thinking about the future with his buddy Harry, in their next buddy film On The Road To Retreat. Harry can’t be questioned like that. It’s not right to question the man who has Gandhi’s statue in his office. Tiny, little man struggling for peace. Hey wait, was he comparing himself to Gandhi?
Also O/T doesn’t Kucinich also have a bust of Gandhi in his office or something? Sensing something here, Not quite sure what…
PowWow on July 13, 2007 at 10:22 PM
Nevadans must feel immense shame having this POS represent their great state. Maybe after many years of his crapola, they’ll get rid of him and vote in a conservative?
csdeven on July 14, 2007 at 2:04 AM
Yeah, senator, you POS. WILL THE IRAQIS BE SAFER WHEN WE LEAVE?
urbancenturion on July 14, 2007 at 2:49 AM
I wouldn’t hold my breath. A POS is a POS because he brings home the bacon.
urbancenturion on July 14, 2007 at 2:50 AM
Harry Reid is easily the most worthless person in our government. I can crap something that’ll do a better job than Reid.
Privatestock on July 14, 2007 at 12:55 PM
A few weeks ago Dennis Miller had the final word on this sorry individual. What he said is all the more true today. Take a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miXAZj-tcGI
leavenedbread on July 14, 2007 at 9:23 PM