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By RS Insider Posted in Congress | Harry Reid | Iraq debate — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

It took him 17 tries, but this time Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid thinks he has finally got it right. His latest iteration in the sad and long list of Democrat Iraq proposals goes further than others in the past. Indeed, it had to. Democrats on Capitol Hill have been self-destructing as the extreme left-wing of their Party has consistently agitated for a full-on surrender resolution, with teeth.

Now they have it.

S.J. Res. 9 is a binding resolution that if passed, would be taken up by the House and then sent to the President for his signature (or veto). By introducing this resolution Reid seeks to change the troop's mission from his perch in the Senate and impose a hard deadline for complete troop withdrawal. Reid wants to micromanage the mission by limiting troop engagement to three specific purposes:

     (1) Protecting United States and coalition personnel and infrastructure.

     (2) Training and equipping Iraqi forces.

     (3) Conducting targeted counter-terrorism operations.

If passed, troops in the field would be forced to determine in the blink of an eye whether or not their conduct passed through one of these three filters.

Scroll to minute 4:30 in this video in which UPI reporter Pam Hess describes the situation in Iraq right now. As she describes three masked men shooting a completely innocent young boy in the face four times ask yourself this question: would our troops, had they been there at that moment, have had the legal authority to stop the savagery if Reid got his way? Your conclusion has to be no. Taking action in such a situation would only have been legal if in the blink of an eye our military on the ground could have determined that this was a targeted counter terror operation. But how can you do that if you don't know who the actors are ahead of time?

This resolution would hamper our military in the worst of ways and would prohibit our best ambassadors of good will from continuing to be so.

Read on . . .

As awful as this scenario is, perhaps the worst part of Reid's resolution is the date certain for withdrawal. Heads up terrorists and Iran, March 31, 2008 is your big day. If Harry gets his way, Iraq will be all yours in one year.

Finally, there is a lot to be said for some serious constitutional questions surrounding this bill. This is a naked power grab by Congressional Democrats. The Executive Branch's traditional prerogative to execute wars is clearly being challenged as Democrat leaders in Congress seek to micromanage a war that they have absolutely zero will to win.
The Senate is scheduled to debate this monstrosity beginning today. Senate insiders are not yet clear as where the votes are on this issue. Reid has proposed voting on his bill as well as four others: S. Con Res. 7 Warner-Collins-Hagel-Levin-Biden, S. 641 Gregg Amendment on not reducing funding, S. Res. 70 McCain resolution supporting Petraeus and S. Res. 101 a Reid amendment that is Gregg-lite to give Dems a cover vote on funding troops. The insider hears that Reid is confident that this construct gives him an advantageous political setting because he appears magnanimous in allowing Republicans to have votes on their bills, all the while intending to gut any measure that does not immediately wave the white flag.

The magnitude of the danger posed by Reid's resolution can only be fully understood by reading the whole thing below.

S.J.RES.9
United States Policy in Iraq Resolution of 2007 (Placed on Calendar in Senate)
SJ 9 PCS
Calendar No. 72
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. J. RES. 9
To revise United States policy on Iraq.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 8, 2007
Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. KERRY, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. REED, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mrs. BOXER, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. CARPER, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr. BAYH, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mr. BROWN, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. INOUYE, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. KOHL, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. LEAHY, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. OBAMA, Mr. SALAZAR, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. TESTER, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read the first time
March 9, 2007
Read the second time and placed on the calendar

JOINT RESOLUTION
To revise United States policy on Iraq.
Whereas Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or have served bravely and honorably in Iraq;
Whereas the circumstances referred to in the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) have changed substantially;
Whereas United States troops should not be policing a civil war, and the current conflict in Iraq requires principally a political solution; and
Whereas United States policy on Iraq must change to emphasize the need for a political solution by Iraqi leaders in order to maximize the chances of success and to more effectively fight the war on terror: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the `United States Policy in Iraq Resolution of 2007'.
SEC. 2. PROMPT COMMENCEMENT OF PHASED REDEPLOYMENT OF UNITED STATES FORCES FROM IRAQ.
(a) Transition of Mission- The President shall promptly transition the mission of United States forces in Iraq to the limited purposes set forth in subsection (b).
(b) Commencement of Phased Redeployment From Iraq- The President shall commence the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this joint resolution, with the goal of redeploying, by March 31, 2008, all United States combat forces from Iraq except for a limited number that are essential for the following purposes:
(1) Protecting United States and coalition personnel and infrastructure.
(2) Training and equipping Iraqi forces.
(3) Conducting targeted counter-terrorism operations.
(c) Comprehensive Strategy- Subsection (b) shall be implemented as part of a comprehensive diplomatic, political, and economic strategy that includes sustained engagement with Iraq's neighbors and the international community for the purpose of working collectively to bring stability to Iraq.
(d) Reports Required- Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the President shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made in transitioning the mission of the United States forces in Iraq and implementing the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq as required under this section.
Calendar No. 72
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. J. RES. 9
JOINT RESOLUTION
To revise United States policy on Iraq.