Brownback's Bold Move
The Kansan Senator and the Caucus Cooler's favorite CCA showed some chutzpah while in Baghdad yesterday and got a noteworthy mention in the Des Moines Register story.. Brownback stood up to the President and to his parties frontrunners and said that he thought the troop surge wasn't such a great idea.
“I do not believe that sending more troops to Iraq is the answer,” Brownback said. “Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution." Brownback is really the only candidate that brought something new and bold to the discussion on the GOP side of the aisle. As we've said ad nauseum this week, the 08ers haven't had a vibrant back and forth at all on this issue.
It will be interesting to see how hard Brownback plays this angle in the coming weeks and months. Also worth mentioning on MSNBC tonight, resident blowhard Pat Buchanan pointed out that Iowa was an "old isolationist state" and this kind of thing might appeal to them. We're not sure if that's the case, but at the very list Brownback is distinguishing himself, as opposed to being dumped in with John Edwards "McCain Doctrine" crowd.
In other Bush speech fall-out, McCain was found on Larry King Live making his argument and both Romney and Giuliani released statements prior to the speech you can find over at the Hotline blog. The general tone of their statements was supportive of the President and the surge.
Update: Turns out Rudy was on Hannity and Colmes defending the President and McCain was on Fox News following the speech as well...
“I do not believe that sending more troops to Iraq is the answer,” Brownback said. “Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution." Brownback is really the only candidate that brought something new and bold to the discussion on the GOP side of the aisle. As we've said ad nauseum this week, the 08ers haven't had a vibrant back and forth at all on this issue.
It will be interesting to see how hard Brownback plays this angle in the coming weeks and months. Also worth mentioning on MSNBC tonight, resident blowhard Pat Buchanan pointed out that Iowa was an "old isolationist state" and this kind of thing might appeal to them. We're not sure if that's the case, but at the very list Brownback is distinguishing himself, as opposed to being dumped in with John Edwards "McCain Doctrine" crowd.
In other Bush speech fall-out, McCain was found on Larry King Live making his argument and both Romney and Giuliani released statements prior to the speech you can find over at the Hotline blog. The general tone of their statements was supportive of the President and the surge.
Update: Turns out Rudy was on Hannity and Colmes defending the President and McCain was on Fox News following the speech as well...
posted by Caucus Cooler at 1/11/2007
39 Comments:
I'll second that!
I'm proud that Senator McCain is the candidate who has made the "bold move" of coming up with a strategy for winning this war and sticking to it. He seems to be the guy with a principled position in this race.
“I do not believe that sending more troops to Iraq is the answer,” Brownback said. “Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution." Brownback is really the only candidate that brought something new and bold to the discussion on the GOP side of the aisle.
Well, that's the end of Brownback. A political solution is what the greatest losing generation that ever lived tried with Viet Nam. Bad idea in retrospect.
This and his illegal amnesty support makes him low on the totem pole on national security.
The one who wins this time will win in it on the best strategy against islamofascism, not how PURE they are on abortion. The WAR and all it's tentacles - IRAN, North Korea etc, trumps all other issues.
I am sickened to the depth of my soul at the glee with which the democrats pursue America losing to Iran and to Islamofascism. They won't be happy until we no longer even speak English.
My guess is that Nancy Pelosi is setting up shop to be the first on her block to sell burkas.
More troops isn't the answer if you limit what troops can actually do. Take the limit and throw away the stupid rules of engagement cards away. I agree with Brownback!
Brownback isvery credible now with independants and conservative democrats along with the republican base! Go Brownback!
7 straight posts without insulting a staffer or another campaign! Can we make it to 10?
Wow, This is the type of politics people are craving one on ideas and thoughts. Seams there is no angst against Brownback.
How about some commentary on Vilsacks performance on Hannity and Colmes last night?
It was embarrassing to Vilsack. He didn't do very well. Got off track right off the bat and stumbled the rest of the way through.
He must have received a D in "how to sidestep reporters questions and say what I want to say with impunity" class.
I just thought it might be pointed out, which the Cooler failed to for some reason, that on Dec. 16th the Kansas City Star wrote:
"The military should get additional, temporary troops in Baghdad if it asks for them, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback said Friday."
In less than one month he changed his position. If he isn't going to allow other candidates to change their mind over time on issues (as he did on abortion), then why is he getting a free pass on doing a 180 in much less time than Kerry or Hillary?
I am not a Brownback supporter but this could get him a ton of MM attention.
Smart move. Very smart.
I guess Brownback has to do something so people will stop asking "Brownback? Who's he?"
Brownback = the Republican Christopher Dodd
"The military should get additional, temporary troops in Baghdad if it asks for them, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback said Friday."
In less than one month he changed his position"
Not true the military was not asking for them Bush has replaced all (yes All) the generals on the ground with people who want more troops - this is an unnesscessary escalation remove the limits on our troops and we can succeed. If we are not allowed to do house to house searches after incidents we are only going to provide more targets to shoot at. The current rules of engagement are to act when acted upon. and not house to house searches even after a bombing. We are only allowed house to house searches when we have multiply tips or sources. We will lose because we have tied our own hands! Brownback is right!
If the military has it's hands tied in order to be polite to our enemies, we will surely lose and the extra troops are, agreed, unnecessary.
Didn't we learn from 9-11 that we can't be polite with our enemies? I'm for the troop surge if no hands tied and it's intended they kill kill kill and kill some more.
If it's not, it's a waste.
We need more info on the rules of engagement.
We need to win the war of politics here in our nation, Such things as the military should never be political. When we need to insert politics into military action we will lose. Right now this is all about politics and putting more troops there is not the answer replacing all of your leadership for politics of potus is horrible where is the leadership! it was with the generals that have been replaced in the last couple months because they had solutions
Murphy your getting to be more like John Cox everyday--nuiciance not statesman.
Romney changed his mind in less than a week.
8:55, Brownback scares the ever loving daylights out of all the Democrats and independents I know. It's a bad rap, but if there's anybody in the conservative movement that projects "theocrat", it's Sam Brownback. He could declare that he thinks Bush is a war criminal and they still wouldn't cast their ballot for him.
12:31, Romney did no such thing. He said, while he was still governor, that since he was still a governor, hadn't formed any type of committee to show interest in national office, and hadn't heard the details of the plan, he wasn't going to comment. All three scenarios are no longer the case so he rightfully took a position.
Romney people are becoming professionals at explaining Mitt-flops.
You heard it hear first...
Brownback gets less that 250 people to the straw poll... if he makes it.
You're welcome Cooler.
What Senator Brownback fails to recognize is that more combat power on the ground will allow us to set the conditions for a political, economic and diplomatic solution to emerge.
Brownback is another Kansas populist. Sticking his head up only when its time to run for President. That's not leadership, it political opportunism.
12:31 McCain changed his mind on gay marriage in under 20 minutes on Hardball at Iowa State.
McCain people ARE professional hachet men who attack Mitt Romney everytime McCain has a bad news day.
How about a slight change in topic? I just heard Hagels response to Bush's Iraq Plan. He's dead and continues to suffer from the disease that manifested itself in most members of the sex, drug, rock and roll generation, a.k.a. the least generation that ever lived, VIET NAM DISEASE. He continues to compare Iraq to Viet Nam rather than to the more appropriate comparison of WWII.
George Bush is Winston Churchhill -all alone in understanding what is at risk. He gathered his strength by knowing what was right to do and steeling himself with the truth.
Hagel is Neville Chamberlain, going along with a loud and large crowd who do not understand what is at risk, but gather their strength from the loudness of their voices rather than from the rightness of the truth.
I'm proud that Senator McCain is the candidate who has made the "bold move" of coming up with a strategy for winning this war and sticking to it. He seems to be the guy with a principled position in this race.
ROFLMAO!!!!
Just what is McCain's "strategy?"
Coddling terrorists who try to kill American troops.
Our troops carry a card with the ROE on them. Seven conditions have to be met before they can fire and they have to get permission to fire on enemies who are loading up mortars and RPGs.
McCain is an idiot. All his plan will do is give the terrorists more targets, while at the same time giving those thugs more rights than the boys in the brig at Camp Pendleton.
JOHN MCCAIN WILL LOSE THE WAR ON TERROR!!!
There seems to be a new disease on this blog:
Carcinoma McCainius Sentarus
A virulent, aggressive cancer that makes McCain think he is Presidential material.
Cooler: At the present time, my vote for President will be cast based on the candidates approach to national security. I care about no other issue for this next 4 year decision.
I wish to be fully informed of each candidates positions on national security. I hope your blog will devote some specific attention to this topic by each candidate. It's hard to find on your own.
Campaign staff: Please advise your candidates to not be silent on this most important of all issues. Our survival is at stake. We can't get this one wrong. We need to know how they intend to lead us in our war against islamofascism.
I don't want slick postcards just reminding me what his name is and what day to vote. I don't want those stupid commercials that tell me nothing and waste my time. Spend your money on 30 minute spots rather than 30 second spots. Use the savings from the overruse of phone banks and postcards on the TV time.
Tell us who you are and what you intend to do.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
I fail to understand how any student of history could think that there is any alternative to complete military victory in Iraq.
Wars only end when one side acknowledges and accepts defeat and the futility of further conflict. All wars end, the only question is how long.
The Hundred Years War lasted for 120 years and only ended when the English finally left all of France but Calais` The German wars for European hegemony started in 1859 and continued until the rubble of WW2.
We need to win in the Middle East and crushing the Iraq jihadists and Baathists is a huge step forward.
We'd like to sincerely thank everyone in this thread for having a spirited discussion on a critical issue with only a couple of you resorting to name calling and no mention of staffers who are not public figures.
If the blog was like this everyday it would be a lot more fun!
Can someone verify this? I've heard that the surge strategy includes removing the silly Rules of Engagement issues that has been mentioned as inhibiting our soldiers. (such as not killing all those towelheads at the funeral of another when we had a clear shot at them. We sure wouldn't want to hurt their feelings right before we kill them.)
If the ROE's change, I LOVE the surge idea. This ain't no VietNam.
Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, said that "to put the lives of [more] Americans soldiers" into the Iraq conflict, "without first having something that's substantial, something we can point to, other than this sense of trust, other than looking someone in the eye, having a conversation. I'm not prepared, at this time, to support that. The cost is too great."
Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican, called Mr. Bush's proposal "the only realistic choice given the regional instability and danger we face. But this support is not without limits."
Isn't this essentially what Senator Brownback Also said?
Surge idea = Mcnamara!
Kate O'Bierne writes in National Review:
"When Sam Brownback was running in a GOP congressional primary in 1994, he initially rebuffed a pro-life group’s endorsement, according to a recent account in The New Republic. In that article, a former president of Kansans for Life recalls that Brownback was 'unfamiliar with the anti-abortion lexicon' 20 years after Roe v. Wade, and that Brownback described himself as 'more in line with the view of Nancy Kassebaum,' the state’s pro-choice junior GOP senator."
If the ROE's change, I LOVE the surge idea.
Me too, but I don't think Bush has the guts to remove the ROE.
Moped
Bush removed the ROE's.
Does that mean he is going to pardon the Camp Pendleton Eight?
What is your source?
246-
We don't know this pro-life lady making the accusation. But we do know Chuck Hurley. And Chuck Hurley knew Sam Brownback long before 1994. So we have a tough time believing that in 1994 he was 'unfamiliar with the anti-abortion lexicon.'
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