Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Congressional RhetIraq: Debating Withdrawl from Iraq
Who: Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ)
Source: ABC News
Quotes: From article titled, "McCain: Not Time to Withdraw From Iraq"
The Senate will debate Sen. John Kerry's proposal — which says essentially that all U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by July 2007 — and a nonbinding resolution that advocates a phased withdrawal, which would begin this year but has no specific end date.
"The administration's policy to date — that we'll be there for as long as Iraq needs us — will result in Iraq's depending upon us longer. We should tell the Iraqis that the American security blanket is not permanent," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.
"If you have a planned withdrawal, there's going to be an end date, and we don't feel that's what's called for at this time," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. "We think that if you have a planned withdrawal, then you announce to the insurgents that you're leaving. There is an old adage that work expands to fill time."
Unlike with Iraq, McCain said, the United States could have walked away from Vietnam without fearing that it would destabilize an entire region. If Iraq is abandoned, McCain said, the conflict will spread to other parts of the Middle East.
[Blogger's Note: The following is excerpted from the U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian via Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Library]
"Several factors contributed to increased U.S. intervention, including the deteriorating military situation, the instability of the South Vietnamese Government, and the rising consensus within the U.S. Government to make a stand in Vietnam against the spread of Communism."
[Blogger's Note: The following are excerpts from Melvin Laird's "Iraq: Learning the Lessons of Vietnam" appearing at Foreign Affairs. Laird was Secretary of Defense for Richard Nixon; 1969-1973.]
"Johnson saw Southeast Asia as the place to stop the spread of communism, and he spared no expense or personnel."
"Three decades ago, Asia really was threatened by the spread of communism. The Korean War was a fresh memory. In Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and even India, communist movements were gaining a foothold. They failed in large part because the United States drew a line at Vietnam that distracted and sucked resources away from its Cold War nemesis, the Soviet Union."
Source: ABC News
Quotes: From article titled, "McCain: Not Time to Withdraw From Iraq"
The Senate will debate Sen. John Kerry's proposal — which says essentially that all U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by July 2007 — and a nonbinding resolution that advocates a phased withdrawal, which would begin this year but has no specific end date.
"The administration's policy to date — that we'll be there for as long as Iraq needs us — will result in Iraq's depending upon us longer. We should tell the Iraqis that the American security blanket is not permanent," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.
"If you have a planned withdrawal, there's going to be an end date, and we don't feel that's what's called for at this time," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. "We think that if you have a planned withdrawal, then you announce to the insurgents that you're leaving. There is an old adage that work expands to fill time."
Unlike with Iraq, McCain said, the United States could have walked away from Vietnam without fearing that it would destabilize an entire region. If Iraq is abandoned, McCain said, the conflict will spread to other parts of the Middle East.
[Blogger's Note: The following is excerpted from the U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian via Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Library]
"Several factors contributed to increased U.S. intervention, including the deteriorating military situation, the instability of the South Vietnamese Government, and the rising consensus within the U.S. Government to make a stand in Vietnam against the spread of Communism."
[Blogger's Note: The following are excerpts from Melvin Laird's "Iraq: Learning the Lessons of Vietnam" appearing at Foreign Affairs. Laird was Secretary of Defense for Richard Nixon; 1969-1973.]
"Johnson saw Southeast Asia as the place to stop the spread of communism, and he spared no expense or personnel."
"Three decades ago, Asia really was threatened by the spread of communism. The Korean War was a fresh memory. In Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and even India, communist movements were gaining a foothold. They failed in large part because the United States drew a line at Vietnam that distracted and sucked resources away from its Cold War nemesis, the Soviet Union."
