IRAQ
Congressional Democrats Right To Oppose More Troops for Iraq
by State Rep Mark Cohen Dem PA
Wed Jan 10, 2007 at 09:07:44 PM PDT
Congressional Democrats deserve credit for opposing more troops for Iraq. The last thing that Americans need is more deaths, more woundings, and more disabled soldiers.
Howard Dean was pilloried by Bush and his allies in late 2003 for saying that the capture of Saddam Hussein would not make America any safer. He was right on that, although his "gaffe" undoubtedly contributed to the escalation of attacks on his electability that ultimately cost him the Iowa Caucuses and the Democratic Presidential nomination.
Today, Saddam Hussein is dead after an execution and a conviction which documented various crimes he committed against the Iraqi people. And America is still not safe from terrorist attacks, here or in Iraq.
The argument for more troops assumes that there is an American military solution to the disintegration of civil authority and living conditions in Iraq. It will be extraordinarily difficult to convince Americans of that, as many of our own military leaders have warned that American troops in Iraq are both a target and an escalating grievance that aids in the recruitment of new terrorists.
George W. Bush's Utopian rationale of a future Iraq being a luminous bright spot leading to a widespread adoption of democracy in the Middle East has proven to be pure fantasy. Even the some of the neocons who dreamed up this rationale are now attacking the Bush Administration for incompetence in carrying it out.
Even the more cynically viewed justification for our presence in Iraq--preserving the oil supply--has proven to be a failure. Iraq now produces far less oil than it did while Hussein was in power, and all of us who drive know that gas prices are far higher than they were when Hussein was in power.
The cost of our efforts in Iraq appear to be on course to pass $1 trillion in the not too distant future. Total eventual costs of $2 trillion or more are far from impossible. Nor is it impossible that the total deaths of American soldiers in Iraq, now over 3,000, will eventually pass the 58,200 total for our misguided efforts in Vietnam.
In 1758, the colonial leadership of Pennsylvania was made up of Quakers who were religiously committed to a no-war policy with the Indians. But enough Indian tribes made clear their determination to fight that the no-war policy was not tenable. Ultimately, every Quaker in a high ranking position in state government chose to submit his resignation to allow a war to be fought without their participation in it.
The ideological beliefs of the Bush Administration are akin to religious beliefs. They are fundamentally not subject to proof and are based on faith in the validity of the ideology. They are an obstacle to getting much actually accomplished in Iraq.
In an ideal world, Bush and Cheney would submit their resignations and allow new decision makers to take over, just as the Pennsylvania Quakers did. This will not happen of course, and Americans and Iraqis will continue to die in large numbers because of unrealistic goals and incompetent leadership.
Congress has no choice but to assert itself, and it is great to see it is finally doing it. Only a limitation of financial and troop commitment can supply the discipline to end our ongoing tragedy in Iraq. The belief that our governmental vision for Iraq is a sacred cause, worth any amount of governmental funds that can be beaten or cajoled out of Congress, is a belief that will only lead to an endless series of tragic outcomes.
Bush and Cheney have had their way, and they have failed. It is time for Congress to push them out of the way, create manageable objectives, and get our troops home in a prompt and reasonable manner.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/11/0744/75751
*
George Bush confuses means and objectives, and assumes that terrorists cannot win elections in their own countries, which has historically proven to be false. Terrorists often are seen as heroes by the people in whose name they commit terrorist acts.It is quite frustrating to me that the deaths of American soldiers continue to increase day after day, to the point where over 2,600 of them have now died in Iraq. Counting the deaths of news media, relief workers, private contractors, non-military governmental workers, and suicides of American soldiers, we are nearing the 3,000 death milestone of Americans killed in Iraq.58,200 American soldiers were killed in Vietnam, so this is not "another Vietnam" YET in the sense of American deaths. But it is "another Vietnam" in terms of endless commitment of resources that could be better spent elsewhere, a profound misreading of the motives of our antagonists, and an inability to realize that new people are constantly being recruited by the insurgents in protest of our being there.Unlike in Vietnam, many of our professional military leaders have long thought that our presence in Iraq was a mistake. The Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania published and placed on the Internet (no need for Daniel Ellsberg here!) studies critical of Bush's assumptions and strategies even before our troops actually went to Iraq.Perhaps as a result of these studies--the evidence is unclear--the Bush Administration floated the abolition of the Army War College. I am deeply proud that my resolution supporting the continued existence of the Army War College in Carlisle passed the House of Representatives unanimously, and the Army War College survived a round of base closings.
August 26, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=313548#post313548
*
My blog, the Official Blog of Rep. Mark B. Cohen, at phillyblog.com, has been highly critical of the occupation of Iraq and will continue to be so as long as this ever-growing tragedy continues to escalate. I would welcome comments and suggestions for future topics.
September 5, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:_2OiqWYrrosJ:www.globalspin.com/mt/archives/000128.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=41
*
The ever-lengthening U.S. involvement in Iraq is albatross around the neck of President Bush and the U.S. image in the world generally. We shortly will have had to suffer the loss of 2,500 American troops there, and there is no end to the death toll in sight.Sooner or later, hopefully our government will have the wisdom to follow the plan of Congressman Jack Murtha to take our soldiers out of harms way, but station them close enough so that they can go back if their presence is really needed. Right now, their presence seems to serve as an excuse for Iraqi insurgents to inflame their countrymen.The presence of the troops creates a circular problem. The Bush Administration says we cannot leave until there is safety for all in Iraq, but the presence of our troops seems to infuriate enough Iraqis to make new recruiting of terrorists easier than it otherwise would be.
May 28, 3006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=256920#post256920
*
I am circulating for co-sponsorship, and expect to be introducing soon, the resolution that Murtha introducedin Congress with minor changes reflecting that the statehouse is not Congress.This will send a message that there are members of the the legislature in Murtha's home state who admire his record and agree with what he is doing.There probably has been no war in American history whichhas received as criticism from career military officersand experts in military matters as the war in Iraq has.Murtha's views towards American policies there undoubt-edly reflect this military disillusionment, as there arefew if any members of Congress closer to career militaryleaders than Murtha is.
December 1, 2005
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=1960#3070
*
We now have reached the sad milestone of 1738 American soldiers killed in Iraq--and about 1900 total Americans killed there. Like many others, I have a strong sense of having seen this movie before--a sense that this is a war being fought at very high cost for very little positive gain. We need to have some understanding of limits. If it is worth 1738 lives of American soldiers, is it worth ten times as many? Is it worth one hundred times as many? If we cannot stop this express train, the 21st Century threatens to be a very deadly one for our country.
June 25, 2005
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:WkiyE94yr9sJ:www.psotd.com/posts/1119548388.shtml+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=148
*
The news from the USA TODAY/CNN Gallup Poll today cannot be more stark: 54% of the American people polled now believe making a war in Iraq was a mistake. While this is not the first poll to show majority disapproval, it is the first time that this particular poll found such a majority. Just three weeks ago, 58% held the opposite view.It is certainly understandable why: at least 851 American soldiers have died so far, with well over 100 others being maimed for life. At least 38 American private contractors have died so far, as have various American news reporters, missionaries, and civilian government workers.
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:2dp6irGdAYEJ:bopnotes.com/%3FPHPSESSID%3D9c3b28f8985772303729e94e9236940a+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=69
*
The thing to remember about the War in Vietnam was that it was always on the verge of ending according to official sources. But, somehow, the deadline date just kept being pushed back, more and more, and the death toll kept rising. As I write this, so far 526 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq, another 21 have killed themselves, and various mem bers of the news media have been killed, along with civilian contractors. One can hope that the death toll will stop, but it makes more sense to support candidates and organizations that will work to stop it. We have to ask basic questions: if our goals in Iraq are so important to justify the killing of 526 of our soldiers, are they important enough to justify the killing of 5,260? Or 52,600? If it is important for us to be in Iraq in February, 2004, will it be important next year? The year after next? In five years? In ten years? In other words, we have to set limits on the losses of lives and money we are incurring.
February 3, 2004
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:epyZ-UH-3a8J:www.pacificviews.org/archives/000538.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=357
*
The strong American military counterattack against the insurgents in November, plus the capture of Saddam Hussein, have contributed to lowering the number of Americans soldiers dying each day to just l.l (or ll soldiers every ten days.) While this is significant progress, it means that, if continued, over 400 American soldiers now alive will die in Iraq by the end of 2004. (By way of contrast, no other post-Vietnam military conflict has had as many as 300 deaths of American soldiers.) We continue to need a better diplomatic strategy, a better military strategy, and, to best limit the number of American deaths, a better exit strategy.
December 21, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:OQrLFt3NOagJ:wow.blogs.com/words/2003/12/it_aint_over_ti.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=456
*
The story of the large number of medical evacuations is vitally important. It adds context to the numbers of "only" 461 dead, 2659 wounded, 17 suicides, plus dead and injured media correspondents and private contractors. The 11,000 sent home for medical reasons hopefully will quickly recover, but some will have long-term conditions adversely affecting their lives and federal tax dollars for many years to come.
December 21, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:LH_MKLM1gZIJ:www.node707.com/archives/000171.shtml+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=281
*
There still is reason for doubt as to whether or not there is a Plan B. There is some value to the U.S. and the American people in having a friendly or neutral government in Iraq, but the value is not unlimited. Counting reporters and an American civilian, the toll of Americans killed has now passed 400, and the toll of Americans wounded either has passed, or shortly will pass 2,300. I strongly hope that Bush and Congress will find a way out. If I am elected to Congress in 2004,and the count of dead and wounded has continued to rise without an end in sight, I will back legislation calling for a withdrawal of all American troops by December 3l, 2005. We cannot let Iraq become another Vietnam, with 58,200 Americans dead in a war that had little long-range significance. The formulation that we cannot leave if we are losing--backed by Bush, Daschle, and the DLC--is a formula for endless war and all too many tragic and unnecessary deaths.
November 12, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:YgcS9Fjw0XkJ:wow.blogs.com/words/2003/08/iraq_wheres_pla.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=406
*
The U.S. and all subsequent Iraqi administrations must find ways to deal with the legimate concerns of both Shiites and Sunnis. The U.S. cannot allow itself to either foment a religious civil war or to be caught in the middle of one. Political questions submerged by Saddam's repressive rule must be dealt with in any democratic system. Hopefully, there will be outreach to all citizens, enlisting the many whose identity is not solely consumed by religious faith.
November 27, 2003
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:iALD4nLadG4J:news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html%3Farticle_id%3D0b0d587c86ff4cf5b187c825f5e1ea45+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=177
by State Rep Mark Cohen Dem PA
Wed Jan 10, 2007 at 09:07:44 PM PDT
Congressional Democrats deserve credit for opposing more troops for Iraq. The last thing that Americans need is more deaths, more woundings, and more disabled soldiers.
Howard Dean was pilloried by Bush and his allies in late 2003 for saying that the capture of Saddam Hussein would not make America any safer. He was right on that, although his "gaffe" undoubtedly contributed to the escalation of attacks on his electability that ultimately cost him the Iowa Caucuses and the Democratic Presidential nomination.
Today, Saddam Hussein is dead after an execution and a conviction which documented various crimes he committed against the Iraqi people. And America is still not safe from terrorist attacks, here or in Iraq.
The argument for more troops assumes that there is an American military solution to the disintegration of civil authority and living conditions in Iraq. It will be extraordinarily difficult to convince Americans of that, as many of our own military leaders have warned that American troops in Iraq are both a target and an escalating grievance that aids in the recruitment of new terrorists.
George W. Bush's Utopian rationale of a future Iraq being a luminous bright spot leading to a widespread adoption of democracy in the Middle East has proven to be pure fantasy. Even the some of the neocons who dreamed up this rationale are now attacking the Bush Administration for incompetence in carrying it out.
Even the more cynically viewed justification for our presence in Iraq--preserving the oil supply--has proven to be a failure. Iraq now produces far less oil than it did while Hussein was in power, and all of us who drive know that gas prices are far higher than they were when Hussein was in power.
The cost of our efforts in Iraq appear to be on course to pass $1 trillion in the not too distant future. Total eventual costs of $2 trillion or more are far from impossible. Nor is it impossible that the total deaths of American soldiers in Iraq, now over 3,000, will eventually pass the 58,200 total for our misguided efforts in Vietnam.
In 1758, the colonial leadership of Pennsylvania was made up of Quakers who were religiously committed to a no-war policy with the Indians. But enough Indian tribes made clear their determination to fight that the no-war policy was not tenable. Ultimately, every Quaker in a high ranking position in state government chose to submit his resignation to allow a war to be fought without their participation in it.
The ideological beliefs of the Bush Administration are akin to religious beliefs. They are fundamentally not subject to proof and are based on faith in the validity of the ideology. They are an obstacle to getting much actually accomplished in Iraq.
In an ideal world, Bush and Cheney would submit their resignations and allow new decision makers to take over, just as the Pennsylvania Quakers did. This will not happen of course, and Americans and Iraqis will continue to die in large numbers because of unrealistic goals and incompetent leadership.
Congress has no choice but to assert itself, and it is great to see it is finally doing it. Only a limitation of financial and troop commitment can supply the discipline to end our ongoing tragedy in Iraq. The belief that our governmental vision for Iraq is a sacred cause, worth any amount of governmental funds that can be beaten or cajoled out of Congress, is a belief that will only lead to an endless series of tragic outcomes.
Bush and Cheney have had their way, and they have failed. It is time for Congress to push them out of the way, create manageable objectives, and get our troops home in a prompt and reasonable manner.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/11/0744/75751
*
George Bush confuses means and objectives, and assumes that terrorists cannot win elections in their own countries, which has historically proven to be false. Terrorists often are seen as heroes by the people in whose name they commit terrorist acts.It is quite frustrating to me that the deaths of American soldiers continue to increase day after day, to the point where over 2,600 of them have now died in Iraq. Counting the deaths of news media, relief workers, private contractors, non-military governmental workers, and suicides of American soldiers, we are nearing the 3,000 death milestone of Americans killed in Iraq.58,200 American soldiers were killed in Vietnam, so this is not "another Vietnam" YET in the sense of American deaths. But it is "another Vietnam" in terms of endless commitment of resources that could be better spent elsewhere, a profound misreading of the motives of our antagonists, and an inability to realize that new people are constantly being recruited by the insurgents in protest of our being there.Unlike in Vietnam, many of our professional military leaders have long thought that our presence in Iraq was a mistake. The Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania published and placed on the Internet (no need for Daniel Ellsberg here!) studies critical of Bush's assumptions and strategies even before our troops actually went to Iraq.Perhaps as a result of these studies--the evidence is unclear--the Bush Administration floated the abolition of the Army War College. I am deeply proud that my resolution supporting the continued existence of the Army War College in Carlisle passed the House of Representatives unanimously, and the Army War College survived a round of base closings.
August 26, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=313548#post313548
*
My blog, the Official Blog of Rep. Mark B. Cohen, at phillyblog.com, has been highly critical of the occupation of Iraq and will continue to be so as long as this ever-growing tragedy continues to escalate. I would welcome comments and suggestions for future topics.
September 5, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:_2OiqWYrrosJ:www.globalspin.com/mt/archives/000128.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=41
*
The ever-lengthening U.S. involvement in Iraq is albatross around the neck of President Bush and the U.S. image in the world generally. We shortly will have had to suffer the loss of 2,500 American troops there, and there is no end to the death toll in sight.Sooner or later, hopefully our government will have the wisdom to follow the plan of Congressman Jack Murtha to take our soldiers out of harms way, but station them close enough so that they can go back if their presence is really needed. Right now, their presence seems to serve as an excuse for Iraqi insurgents to inflame their countrymen.The presence of the troops creates a circular problem. The Bush Administration says we cannot leave until there is safety for all in Iraq, but the presence of our troops seems to infuriate enough Iraqis to make new recruiting of terrorists easier than it otherwise would be.
May 28, 3006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=256920#post256920
*
I am circulating for co-sponsorship, and expect to be introducing soon, the resolution that Murtha introducedin Congress with minor changes reflecting that the statehouse is not Congress.This will send a message that there are members of the the legislature in Murtha's home state who admire his record and agree with what he is doing.There probably has been no war in American history whichhas received as criticism from career military officersand experts in military matters as the war in Iraq has.Murtha's views towards American policies there undoubt-edly reflect this military disillusionment, as there arefew if any members of Congress closer to career militaryleaders than Murtha is.
December 1, 2005
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=1960#3070
*
We now have reached the sad milestone of 1738 American soldiers killed in Iraq--and about 1900 total Americans killed there. Like many others, I have a strong sense of having seen this movie before--a sense that this is a war being fought at very high cost for very little positive gain. We need to have some understanding of limits. If it is worth 1738 lives of American soldiers, is it worth ten times as many? Is it worth one hundred times as many? If we cannot stop this express train, the 21st Century threatens to be a very deadly one for our country.
June 25, 2005
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:WkiyE94yr9sJ:www.psotd.com/posts/1119548388.shtml+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=148
*
The news from the USA TODAY/CNN Gallup Poll today cannot be more stark: 54% of the American people polled now believe making a war in Iraq was a mistake. While this is not the first poll to show majority disapproval, it is the first time that this particular poll found such a majority. Just three weeks ago, 58% held the opposite view.It is certainly understandable why: at least 851 American soldiers have died so far, with well over 100 others being maimed for life. At least 38 American private contractors have died so far, as have various American news reporters, missionaries, and civilian government workers.
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:2dp6irGdAYEJ:bopnotes.com/%3FPHPSESSID%3D9c3b28f8985772303729e94e9236940a+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=69
*
The thing to remember about the War in Vietnam was that it was always on the verge of ending according to official sources. But, somehow, the deadline date just kept being pushed back, more and more, and the death toll kept rising. As I write this, so far 526 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq, another 21 have killed themselves, and various mem bers of the news media have been killed, along with civilian contractors. One can hope that the death toll will stop, but it makes more sense to support candidates and organizations that will work to stop it. We have to ask basic questions: if our goals in Iraq are so important to justify the killing of 526 of our soldiers, are they important enough to justify the killing of 5,260? Or 52,600? If it is important for us to be in Iraq in February, 2004, will it be important next year? The year after next? In five years? In ten years? In other words, we have to set limits on the losses of lives and money we are incurring.
February 3, 2004
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:epyZ-UH-3a8J:www.pacificviews.org/archives/000538.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=357
*
The strong American military counterattack against the insurgents in November, plus the capture of Saddam Hussein, have contributed to lowering the number of Americans soldiers dying each day to just l.l (or ll soldiers every ten days.) While this is significant progress, it means that, if continued, over 400 American soldiers now alive will die in Iraq by the end of 2004. (By way of contrast, no other post-Vietnam military conflict has had as many as 300 deaths of American soldiers.) We continue to need a better diplomatic strategy, a better military strategy, and, to best limit the number of American deaths, a better exit strategy.
December 21, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:OQrLFt3NOagJ:wow.blogs.com/words/2003/12/it_aint_over_ti.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=456
*
The story of the large number of medical evacuations is vitally important. It adds context to the numbers of "only" 461 dead, 2659 wounded, 17 suicides, plus dead and injured media correspondents and private contractors. The 11,000 sent home for medical reasons hopefully will quickly recover, but some will have long-term conditions adversely affecting their lives and federal tax dollars for many years to come.
December 21, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:LH_MKLM1gZIJ:www.node707.com/archives/000171.shtml+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=281
*
There still is reason for doubt as to whether or not there is a Plan B. There is some value to the U.S. and the American people in having a friendly or neutral government in Iraq, but the value is not unlimited. Counting reporters and an American civilian, the toll of Americans killed has now passed 400, and the toll of Americans wounded either has passed, or shortly will pass 2,300. I strongly hope that Bush and Congress will find a way out. If I am elected to Congress in 2004,and the count of dead and wounded has continued to rise without an end in sight, I will back legislation calling for a withdrawal of all American troops by December 3l, 2005. We cannot let Iraq become another Vietnam, with 58,200 Americans dead in a war that had little long-range significance. The formulation that we cannot leave if we are losing--backed by Bush, Daschle, and the DLC--is a formula for endless war and all too many tragic and unnecessary deaths.
November 12, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:YgcS9Fjw0XkJ:wow.blogs.com/words/2003/08/iraq_wheres_pla.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=406
*
The U.S. and all subsequent Iraqi administrations must find ways to deal with the legimate concerns of both Shiites and Sunnis. The U.S. cannot allow itself to either foment a religious civil war or to be caught in the middle of one. Political questions submerged by Saddam's repressive rule must be dealt with in any democratic system. Hopefully, there will be outreach to all citizens, enlisting the many whose identity is not solely consumed by religious faith.
November 27, 2003
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:iALD4nLadG4J:news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html%3Farticle_id%3D0b0d587c86ff4cf5b187c825f5e1ea45+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=177
posted by Comment on Pennsylvania Legislation at 10:39 AM
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