According to your website you say that you “support the retention of a small force in Iraq to engage in special operations to pursue terrorists, to train and equip the Iraqi Security Forces, and to protect the US Embassy and other US citizens in Iraq.” http://www.nikitsong…
Can you be specific as to the # of soldiers you would leave behind? How long would they continue to stay in Iraq? Would you support and increase in troop levels if this “small force” needed help?
Please share widely!
not really relevant to the Congressional race if you really think about it. This is really a question for the President, Secretary of Defense, etc. as well as potential candidates for the same.
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From Tsongas (or Ogo for that matter) I don’t expect more than a general statement such as she has given, since as we all know, the next Rep. will not have much of a role in setting this number. Chasing after this question is really just a big distraction (which I assume is the point of asking it).
No – I’ve thought about it Kevin.
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She made the following statement on her campaign website . . .
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“I also support the retention of a small force in Iraq to engage in special operations to pursue terrorists, to train and equip the Iraqi Security Forces, and to protect the US Embassy and other US citizens in Iraq.”
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I’m just asking her to clarify her statement. It was her statement don’t cha know.
Why would such a clarification be relevant or interesting to this campaign?
Such a clarification is relevant because she makes 2 statements that contradict each other.
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Again, on one hand she believes . . .
“A change in course is long overdue. We need to bring our servicemen and women home quickly, safely and responsibly” – Niki Tsongas
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Then on the other hand she . . .
“support the retention of a small force in Iraq to engage in special operations to pursue terrorists, to train and equip the Iraqi Security Forces” – Niki Tsongas
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So now I am confused. Are they staying or leaving? Need more clarification.
Those statements don’t contradict each other. When she says that we need to bring our troops home she clearly means “most” of our troops. She did not say we need to bring “every single American home” did she?
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Even if she had made two statements that did not exactly agree with each other, then who cares?
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I also don’t get why you bother to post these diaries. What is the point? Surely even you realize that no one comes to this site to make up their mind between Tsongas and Ogo?
If Niki is to become a member of this august body of Congress, isn’t it appropriate that we know what her position is on troop withdrawal or not? and if so when , how many and under what circumstances?
Isn’t it appropriate to know that she will/will not support the current Democrat presidential contenders who now have changed their position ( for the nth time)that they do not envision troops extracted until 2013 or beyond?….(sounds like the same position as GWBs position to me)
What happened to the “mandate” that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid claim they have to end the war immediately? Why haven’t they used this mandate to end this war NOW? Why is Hilary telling us that this is not possible and that US troops will be there for years to come?
Perhaps if we send Nicki, she will convince Hilary, Nancy and Harry to take the action on the promises they ran on and were elected on to end this war immediately!
So the question becomes , what is Nicki’s position relative to her political masters vs GWB?
It is not relevant to hear candidates lay out detailed plans for what to do in Iraq, as I have said. It is relevant to hear to what extend they support the positions of the leaders on both sides, but exact troop counts? Give me a break. Do you actually believe that either Tsongas or Ogo is going to be changing anyone’s mind on Iraq. I know you don’t.
Niki’s stated position is -get the troops out NOW (pandering to the anti-war crowd)
Ogo stated position is a -withdrawal of troops as the situation permits.
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Can their respective positions be any clearer?
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“Mandated” anti war politicians ( pelosi/Reid) told us that with a a few more swing votes that they would end the war…so the question is…is Nicki one of those votes for or Ogo one against.
I can’t understand how you dismiss the revelation of a candidates “position” on this matter as unimportant
What was that part about asking for a specific # of troops she would leave behind? That sure seems to be a question ab out specific details to me. Furthermore, here stated position is to get the troops home as soon as is feasible which is not the same as your NOW.
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I appreciate that you — unlike Zombie — are willing to engage in an actual conversation, but it would be nice if you wouldn’t twist the facts quite so much. (I won’t hold my breath)
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Anyway, as I have already said, Zombie has long ago lost the right to have any of his questions taken seriously.
Let's look at what she is mailing out to voters . . .
MAILING # 1
“It's not a surge that's going to clean up George Bush's mess in Iraq…..It's bringing our troops home quickly and safely and caring for them once they are here” – Niki Tsongas http://www.nikitsong…
Sorry Kevin ….. No mention of the word “Most” nor was it emplyed
MAILING # 2
“In Congress, Niki will work to bring our soldiers home and to care for them once they're here” http://www.nikitsong…
Sorry again Kevin ….. No mention of your word “most” here either.
As for “Even if she had made two statements that did not exactly agree with each other (which she did), then who cares?”
I care. I want to know what she will do if she is elected to Congress. And I can't tell because she has made some conflicting statements on her campaign site. It's no big secrete that Congress' approval rating is at 22% and according to some sources it's because Congress can't end the war in Iraq like they (the Democrats) promised in 2006. http://www.infowars.com/articles/bush/approval_of_bush_congress_hits_new_low.htm
“Congress' job performance was approved by just 22 percent, continuing a steady decline in the public's assessment since Democrats took over in January. Unable to force Bush to wind down the Iraq war, just a quarter of Democrats gave a thumbs-up to Congress' work, compared to a fifth of Republicans and independents.”
Why do I get the feeling that she is just another hack.
See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
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I never said that she actual used the word “more”. I merely meant that any “intellectually honest” person would understand that that is what she meant.
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As to what she will do in Congress, as everyone knows, she is not going to personally be determining the number of troops to bring home nor the schedule upon which it is done, and only someone who has know idea how Congress works is going to think otherwise. It is only interesting whether she stands for or against Bush’s policy. Ogo is for, Tsongas is against.
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Despite Congress’s poor approval rate, polls show that voters increasingly plan to vote for Democrats instead of Republicans. Why is that? It’s because many voters are disappointed that Democrats have not gone far enough to counter Republican policies. I am greatly disappointed myself, and have personally said so when asked in a Zogby poll. I know you like to keep beating the Congressional approval drum, but it doesn’t mean what you want it to mean.
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The Republican Party and their branch office in the White House are ginning up all manner of batshit insane ideas such as cutting off funds for poor sick children, provoking the governments of Iran and Venezuela, and denying research into stem cell medicine so that other countries can reach the next generation of medical treatment before us. Oh, and many people want to identify, round up, and transport 12 million people living in America.
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Which insane Bush/Republican/Ogonowski ideas do you refute, and which ones do you think are so ludicrous as to be unworthy of debate?