House of Representatives Minority leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday backed a call by Democratic Rep. John Murtha to quickly start the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and said she believed a majority of her caucus supported it as well... But she said was speaking for herself and would not press for a united Democratic position on the issue.
So what do the other leading Dems think?
Steny Hoyer, one of the top House Dems, is still living in la-la land:
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who supported the war, rejected Murtha's idea for a quick pull-out, saying "a precipitous withdrawal of American forces in Iraq could lead to disaster, spawning a civil war, fostering a haven for terrorists, and damaging our nation's security and credibility."
Then there's John Kerry:
"Jack and I and others believe that you need to approach it in the way that we've set out, where you have certain measurements for that success over a period of time," Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts said at a news conference with fellow Democratic Sen. Jack Reed (news, bio, voting record) of Rhode Island.
So here's my question for Hoyer and Kerry. Yes, a precipitous withdrawal will lead to chaos, and yes, we need measurements for success. But what if the war is already lost? What if there will be no success and we know it? What if there's going to be a civil war anyway and there's nothing we can do to stop it? We still sit there and let our troops get blown up every single day because none of you have the cojones to admit you made a mistake?
That's a hell of a way to show leadership. You guys are no better than Bush and Cheney.
Answer the question: What if we've already lost? Do we keep the troops there anyway?
