Senate Democrats — along with Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska — took the first step toward disentangling the nation from one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in our history. It was a baby step, to be sure, a purely symbolic move with no teeth, but it stands as the most strenuous objection raised by the legislative branch since 2002.
According to The Washington Post,
The measure declares that increasing U.S. troop strength is not in America’s national interest. It calls an open-ended commitment in Iraq “unsustainable” and says Iraqi leaders and the United States should use political and diplomatic channels to end sectarian conflict and reduce regional interference in Iraqi affairs.
Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana who voted against the resolution, called it the equivalent of a soundbite and warned his colleagues that it
would be “the legislative equivalent of a sound bite,” would allow Congress to wash its hands of responsibility for the war and would weaken America’s standing in the eyes of foreign observers.
“We don’t need a resolution to confirm that there is broad discomfort” with the war, Lugar said. “If Congress is going to provide constructive oversight, they must get involved in the weeds” of the policy.
He’s partially right. Symbolic actions provide an important avenue by which we can frame the debate. But they must be accompanied by real action — in this case, a willingness to use the purse strings to force a phased withdrawal.
South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
Hank Kalet 