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| Fifth Column |
| Donk Whip Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus "a real big problem for us." |
| 2007-07-31 |
| House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) ... So we're starting with a guy who's Pelosi's whip. Not an enviable position. Sort of helps one understand why he might have trouble expressing himself. ... said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to press for a timetable to end the war. Nothing like good news to create a split in the Democrat party. Clyburn, in an interview with the washingtonpost.com video program PostTalk, said Democrats might be wise to wait for the Petraeus report, scheduled to be delivered in September, before charting next steps in their year-long struggle with President Bush over the direction of U.S. strategy. He was looking for the Master of the Obvious graphic when he said that. Clyburn noted that Petraeus carries significant weight among the 47 members of the Blue Dog caucus in the House, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats. The rest of the House donks could care less what a dummy like Dr. Patraeus has to day. Without their support, he said, Democratic leaders would find it virtually impossible to pass legislation setting a timetable for withdrawal. "I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the course and if the Republicans were to stay united as they have been, then it would be a problem for us," Clyburn said. "We, by and large, would be wise to wait on the report." Duh. Many Democrats have anticipated that, at best, Petraeus and U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker would present a mixed analysis of the success of the current troop surge strategy, given continued violence in Baghdad. But of late there have been signs that the commander of U.S. forces might be preparing something more generally positive. I've been looking forward to something like "We've been taking names and kicking asses. But some of the donks might take that as a threat. Clyburn said that would be "a real big problem for us." I somehow suspect this will end up in the first half hour of Rush's show tomorrow. Clyburn noted that while overall approval ratings of Congress are low, people still rate Democrats higher than Republicans. "People feel good about the Democratic Party, they just don't feel real good about the Congress itself. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #12 Rush said it best a few years ago: "Good news for America is bad news for the Democrats. In Iraq, they are invested in defeat." |
| Posted by: Sigmund Freud 2007-07-31 22:24 |
| #11 #6 I question their patriotism. Posted by: eLarson 2007-07-31 10:39 I question their sanity. I thought it required at least a MINIMUM level of intelligence to serve in the House, but I guess not. And these mental morons wonder why their approval ratings are headed for single digits. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-07-31 16:31 |
| #10 I question their ability to do what is right for America and I believe that they are putting their own interests in front of everything else making the country less safe. I also believe that they are traitors in the purest sense of the word and should be tried and shot. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-07-31 15:33 |
| #9 You should read the WaPo comments. They can't decide if Petraeus is a a BushCo pawn, a strictly booksmart chickenhawk general, or Julius Ceasar. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-07-31 15:09 |
| #8 OK, now that this is officially on the record, I've gotta ask....WHY is the elect Obama linky on RB now? Fred, please bring back Grace! |
| Posted by: BA 2007-07-31 15:01 |
| #7 You can question their patriotism,if you want. I have no questions WRT their patriotism. I just question their narcicism(sp?). |
| Posted by: N Guard 2007-07-31 13:42 |
| #6 I question their patriotism. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2007-07-31 10:39 |
| #5 Clyburn, in an interview...said Democrats might be wise to wait for the Petraeus report, scheduled to be delivered in September, before charting next steps in their year-long struggle with President Bush over the direction of U.S. strategy. In other words, how do we turn victory into defeat and hang it on the Prez? Clyburn noted that overall approval ratings of Congress are low-- "People just don't feel real good about the Congress." [some editing] No kidding. Might have something to do with the dhimmi part of Congress' constant, despicable and traitorous attempts to lose the war; or the underhanded attempts to sell out our military and the people of Iraq. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-07-31 09:01 |
| #4 I don't know what's the bigger problem for them: that their party's success depends on their country's defeat, or that they're admitting this on the record. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-07-31 06:58 |
| #3 Not only does it not matter what Petraeus says - because we won't believe him anyway - it doesn't even matter if there is undeniably a lot of real progress in Iraq. The war is lost. I said so. So let it be written. So let it be done. |
| Posted by: Sen. H. Reid 2007-07-31 06:37 |
| #2 "The Democrat Party Owns Defeat." Rush Limbaugh |
| Posted by: doc 2007-07-31 06:34 |
| #1 Clyburn said that would be "a real big problem for us." So success for America is bad for the Democrats, eh? Words fail me. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2007-07-31 00:39 |