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You are here: Home / Politics / The Cut and Run Crowd

The Cut and Run Crowd

by John Cole|  June 30, 200711:45 am| 42 Comments

This post is in: Politics, War, War on Terror aka GSAVE®

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Is now almost a super majority:

A CBS News poll shows Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the Iraq war, President Bush and the Congress, as well as the overall direction of the country.

More Americans than ever before, 77 percent, say the war is going badly, up from 66 percent just two months ago. Nearly half, 47 percent, say it’s going very badly.

While the springtime surge in U.S. troops to Iraq is now complete, more Americans than ever are calling for U.S. forces to withdraw. Sixty-six percent say the number of U.S. troops in Iraq should be decreased, including 40 percent who want all U.S. troops removed. That’s a 7-point increase since April.

Why does America hate America?

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42Comments

  1. 1.

    Rome Again

    June 30, 2007 at 12:03 pm

    While the springtime surge in U.S. troops to Iraq is now complete

    Wait a minute, I just heard last week that the surge isn’t really even officially started because the total number of troops they wanted were only now getting into the theatre. I’m confused, is it complete, is it just beginning? Will we ever know? Will we ever truly have a date when it officially can be said to have succeeded or failed? Is Bush just buying time?

  2. 2.

    Chad N. Freude

    June 30, 2007 at 12:09 pm

    Why does America hate America?

    More to the point, why are the Democrats (and non-brain-dead Republicans) in Congress so reluctant to actually DO anything re the war? Bush will veto any sane legislation, which can only send his approval rating farther down. Meanwhile, the Dems are losing credibility.

  3. 3.

    jake

    June 30, 2007 at 12:17 pm

    More Americans than ever before, 77 percent, say the war is going badly, up from 66 percent just two months ago. Nearly half, 47 percent, say it’s going very badly.

    John, John, John. Haven’t you heard? It’s just a number. Anyways, the blood-chillingly ingenious plot to blow up JFK … some how … and the discovery of two car bombs (apparently constructed by 12 year olds) in London proves THEY ^still WANT TO KILL US, so … you know. Fight them over there, etc.

    I mean, surely if we stay in Iraq long enough they’ll get tired of killing us (over there) and take up knitting or something … um … Look, blonde babes!

    I’m confused, is it complete, is it just beginning? Will we ever know? Will we ever truly have a date when it officially can be said to have succeeded or failed? Is Bush just buying time?

    Not tellin’. No. No. Yep.

  4. 4.

    ThymeZone

    June 30, 2007 at 12:23 pm

    More to the point, why are the Democrats (and non-brain-dead Republicans) in Congress so reluctant to actually DO anything re the war?

    Don’t you guys ever get tired of saying the same tired, stupid shit over and over again?

    The Dems have a one-seat “majority” in the Senate.

    Have you ever looked up the rules of the Senate?

    What would you have them do?

    Don’t answer, I dont care. Whatever your answer is, the reality is out there for the world to see and it is not going to change until the Republican members shift.

    Which we said ten months ago. Remember?

  5. 5.

    Keith

    June 30, 2007 at 12:38 pm

    Adjusting for Hewitt’s Postulate, one can calculate a liberal bias of approximately 15 or so points. Then you’ve got to factor in the liberal slant of the wording of the question, for maybe 13 more points. Adjusting for that, the actual percentage is closer to 49%.

  6. 6.

    Otto Man

    June 30, 2007 at 1:58 pm

    At this rate, there’s going to be no one left in Bush’s corner to blame all this on the media.

  7. 7.

    Bubblegum Tate

    June 30, 2007 at 2:41 pm

    Adjusting for Hewitt’s Postulate, one can calculate a liberal bias of approximately 15 or so points. Then you’ve got to factor in the liberal slant of the wording of the question, for maybe 13 more points. Adjusting for that, the actual percentage is closer to 49%.

    Also, various Liberal Dirty Tricks, which account for another 15 percent, which brings the number down to 34 percent, meaning in actuality, 66 percent of people thing Bush Teh Awesome, meaning the poll is actually the inverse of the truth! Damn liberals!

  8. 8.

    The Other Steve

    June 30, 2007 at 3:26 pm

    The game that is playing out right now is “Who is to blame for Iraq?”

    The Republicans are intent on blaming the media and the Democrats for the failure, because they didn’t clap hard enough.

    The Democrats are intent on letting the Republicans hang themselves with their own rope.

    That’s why you aren’t seeing harder action being taken.

  9. 9.

    Psycheout

    June 30, 2007 at 3:47 pm

    This really shows how effective the MSM has been at poisoning America’s minds against the struggle for civilization. Sad, really.

  10. 10.

    dslak

    June 30, 2007 at 4:05 pm

    Struggle for huh? I’m sorry, I was too busy downloading pornography off the Internet.

  11. 11.

    Sri Ramkrishna

    June 30, 2007 at 4:37 pm

    Struggle for huh? I’m sorry, I was too busy downloading pornography off the Internet.

    Really? Which ones?

    sri

  12. 12.

    Punchy

    June 30, 2007 at 5:04 pm

    Look, blonde babes!

    Zellweger has a nice pooper but a buttah face.

    Oh yeah….and Bush sucks. Carry on.

  13. 13.

    Bob In Pacifica

    June 30, 2007 at 6:40 pm

    Chad wrote: More to the point, why are the Democrats (and non-brain-dead Republicans) in Congress so reluctant to actually DO anything re the war?

    Here’s my explanation:

    http://southofheaven.typepad.com/south_of_heaven/2007/06/did_the_definit.html

  14. 14.

    caustics

    June 30, 2007 at 6:45 pm

    The Dems have a one-seat “majority” in the Senate.

    Yup. Unless you have a “super-majority”, the Senate is where bills go to die. But hey, I thought Repubs loved them some “upperdown” honest votes, letting the mess clean itself up at election time by a 1%-3% margin of error.

    I guess they changed their minds.

  15. 15.

    ThymeZone

    June 30, 2007 at 6:56 pm

    The game that is playing out right now is “Who is to blame for Iraq?”

    Exactly. Give the man a cigar.

  16. 16.

    TAX ANALYST

    June 30, 2007 at 7:20 pm

    ThymeZone says:

    “The Other Steve Says:

    The game that is playing out right now is “Who is to blame for Iraq?”

    TZ:

    “Exactly. Give the man a cigar.”

    Yes, and then hope it isn’t one of the exploding cigars…I heer teh terrawrists arr starding to yuse tehm…I can’t decide now if I should go shopping or hide under my bed.

  17. 17.

    demimondian

    June 30, 2007 at 7:25 pm

    I wonder if the Dems are now regretting their unwillingness to let the Republicans use the “nuclear option” last year. What would the President’s calendar look like if he’d been presented with those bills which the Republicans in the Senate had blocked?

  18. 18.

    Chad N. Freude

    June 30, 2007 at 7:26 pm

    The game that is playing out right now is “Who is to blame for Iraq?”

    The Republicans are intent on blaming the media and the Democrats for the failure, because they didn’t clap hard enough.

    I think one could make a case that the Democrats who voted to give Mussolini Bush the authorization to wage the war have a teeny bit of responsibility.

  19. 19.

    Johnny Pez

    June 30, 2007 at 7:33 pm

    This really shows how effective the MSM has been at poisoning America’s minds against the struggle for civilization. Sad, really.

    Spoof?

    Help me out, here. It’s getting damn hard to tell.

  20. 20.

    Jay C

    June 30, 2007 at 8:16 pm

    Otto Man Says:

    At this rate, there’s going to be no one left in Bush’s corner to blame all this on the media.

    Ahh, yes… the lonely burden of the Presidency! At least he’ll still have Laura and Barney.

  21. 21.

    CalD

    July 1, 2007 at 12:33 am

    Well everybody complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it. The real number to watch is how many people support forcing an immediate end to the Iraqi occupation by cutting off funding for further operations — because lacking enough votes to override a presidential veto, that’s the only other option open to Congress. Last poll I saw that asked the question, that number was still hovering right around 30%.

  22. 22.

    ConservativelyLiberal

    July 1, 2007 at 1:06 am

    dslak Says:

    Struggle for huh? I’m sorry, I was too busy downloading pornography off the Internet.

    If you were busy doing that, it is easy to guess what you were struggling with at the time…

    ;)

    Seriously, what makes me sick is while the pols all hack away at each other, people are dying in Iraq. Ours and theirs, and one is just as important and valuable, in my eyes, as the other. Arms merchants, death merchants (Blackwater), oil, blood and lies make this mess what it is. The rich collect the $$$$$$$ to be made in the war, and the pawns are pitted against each other.

    This has to be one of the lowest points in our once proud history. As much as we may think our wars are honorable, I am reminded about Teddy Roosevelt when we went to the Phillipines. Problems with the natives? Kill everyone over 16 years of age. That only cost something like 250,000 lives…

    Much as we may not like to admit it, America is one bloody nation. At home and abroad…

    All in the name of national interests (read oil, resources and $$$$)…

    Just like money not buying love, war does not buy peace. In my humble opinion, that is. I am sure that there are plenty of Americans out there who can justify every single death we have caused. Hey, if they are still alive, they must be right, eh?

  23. 23.

    ThymeZone

    July 1, 2007 at 10:44 am

    Current Threat Level
    June 30, 2007 — The United States government national threat level is Elevated, or Yellow.

    http://www.dhs.gov

    I don’t know how you people can stomach the snark on a day when our government is saying that our national threat level is Elevated, or Yellow.

    Is it because it’s been Mellow Yellow pretty much every day since the cartoonish scale was invented? Is it because even with the hideous threat of half naked crazy men driving a flaming car almost into an airport terminal in Glasgow, the needle hasn’t gone up from Mellow Yellow?

    WAKE UP PEOPLE! This is NOT a laughing matter.

  24. 24.

    Zifnab

    July 1, 2007 at 11:01 am

    Is it because it’s been Mellow Yellow pretty much every day since the cartoonish scale was invented? Is it because even with the hideous threat of half naked crazy men driving a flaming car almost into an airport terminal in Glasgow, the needle hasn’t gone up from Mellow Yellow?

    That is, of course, the biggest joke of all. Not that the scale hasn’t moved down – we’re at war with islamofasistremanistas after all – but that it never seems to go up anymore either. It’s just… there. Staring at us. Being like ooooooooo! Yellow!

    The real number to watch is how many people support forcing an immediate end to the Iraqi occupation by cutting off funding for further operations—because lacking enough votes to override a presidential veto, that’s the only other option open to Congress. Last poll I saw that asked the question, that number was still hovering right around 30%.

    Well, right. If you want to see the war end anytime soon, the best strategy I’ve ever seen has been to write your Congresscritter. Sure, they’ll shrug it off. Sure, they’ll probably send you back a condescending email about how we have to patient and support the troops. But the higher that stack of “Get Out of Iraq!” emails a Congressdude gets, the harder it is for that person to stay the course, politically speaking.

  25. 25.

    ThymeZone

    July 1, 2007 at 11:12 am

    Well, right. If you want to see the war end anytime soon, the best strategy I’ve ever seen has been to write your Congresscritter

    I know I’ve been giving you a hard time lately, but just wanted to say, this is an excellent suggestion. I am going to fire off a couple of such letters myself.

    This is something constructive we can all do on this Fourth of July week.

  26. 26.

    Chad N. Freude

    July 1, 2007 at 11:17 am

    Well, right. If you want to see the war end anytime soon, the best strategy I’ve ever seen has been to write your Congresscritter.

    Congressitoids carefully balance the demands of their constituents according to the Congressional Influence Equivalence Table:

    1 letter demanding an end to the war = 0.001 letters protesting gay marriage.

    1 letter demanding tighter control of firearms sales = 0.001 letters demanding continued sales of assault weapons.

    1 letter demanding an end to special interest budgetary earmarks = $0 of lobbyist political contributions.

  27. 27.

    Face

    July 1, 2007 at 11:22 am

    Is it because even with the hideous threat of half naked crazy men driving a flaming car almost into an airport terminal in Glasgow, the needle hasn’t gone up from Mellow Yellow?

    I’m waiting for a new DHS directive that, in response to the flaming car drive-by somewhere across the pond, all cars, flames, and half-naked crazy men are now banned at all airports.

    Also banned…hair scrunchees. It wouldn’t be a good ban if they didn’t make it completely nonsensical and completely random.

  28. 28.

    Chad N. Freude

    July 1, 2007 at 11:27 am

    I am going to fire off a couple of such letters myself.

    TZ –
    While I think this is the right thing to do, I have two words of discouragement for you:

    Kyl, McCain.

    BTW, somewhat OT but worth noticing, this is up on McCain’s website:

    June 29, 2007

    SENATOR McCAIN INTRODUCES BROADCASTER FREEDOM ACT

    WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today joined Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Norm Coleman (R-MN) to introduce the “Broadcaster Freedom Act.”

    “Since President Reagan’s repeal of the ‘Fairness Doctrine,’ the number of talk radio shows nationwide has grown from fewer than 100 to over 1,000 today. In addition to talk radio, Americans are able to find opposing viewpoints in more places than ever before, including the Internet,” Senator McCain said.

    “With the great number of media sources available today, divergent viewpoints do not have to be offered on the same radio or television show, but can be found simply by channel surfing, reading a newspaper or browsing an Internet blog .

    “The legislation would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the ‘Fairness Doctrine,’ a regulation that had required broadcasters to present opposing viewpoints on issues of public importance.

    “This regulation had a chilling affect on free speech, and it is hard to imagine that the American people would support reinstating a policy where the Federal government would be required to police the airwaves to ensure differing viewpoints are offered.”

  29. 29.

    ThymeZone

    July 1, 2007 at 11:40 am

    Kyl, McCain.

    I know. Two of the biggest horse’s asses in Washington.

    But I am going to send them letters anyway. I am not going to let their horse’s-assitude stop me from speaking up. The same goes for all of you with horse’s asses in Congress. Write ’em anyway!

  30. 30.

    Chad N. Freude

    July 1, 2007 at 12:02 pm

    I’ve got Feinstein, Boxer, and (genuflects) Henry Waxman. I suppose Attaboy letters would be good (although in Feinstein’s case, “We’re watching you” might be appropriate).

  31. 31.

    Zifnab

    July 1, 2007 at 1:26 pm

    I know I’ve been giving you a hard time lately

    Don’t worry about it. I take way more shit over at Riehl World. At least when we disagree, neither of us has descended to calling each other socialist Osama-loving faggots and slinging other verbal pooh.

  32. 32.

    ThymeZone

    July 1, 2007 at 1:39 pm

    At least when we disagree, neither of us has descended to calling each other socialist Osama Obama-loving faggots

    Just correcting your typo.

    Heh.

  33. 33.

    TAX ANALYST

    July 1, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    Well, OK…then – Alright all you Socialist Osamabama -Loving Faggots, get off your asses and write those letters to your Congresspersons and Senators. And when you run into those horse-asses, well, just remember that bestiality is always an option. I’m gonna do it (write the letters, not indulge in bestiality) this afternoon and I’m even gonna try really hard not to swear.

  34. 34.

    TAX ANALYST

    July 1, 2007 at 4:37 pm

    Shit, I don’t know how I got that strike-through on my previous post. I DIDN’T WANT to strike-through that line…I’m on a friend’s computer (I house-sit for him for a few weeks every summer) and it doesn’t even show the word-processing options above the area where you type your post.

    Anyway…AHA, I think it had something to do with a ‘dash’ I put between “Osamabama” and “Loving”, and maybe the one before “Alright” several words back. Well, let me try it again here, sans dashes, just for drill…maybe I’ll understand better if I’m right.

    So I beg your brief indulgence here.

    Well, OK…then…Alright all you Socialist Osamabama Loving Faggots, get off your asses and write those letters to your Congresspersons and Senators. And when you run into those horseasses, well, just remember that bestiality is always an option. I’m gonna do it (write the letters, not indulge in bestiality) this afternoon and I’m even gonna try really hard not to swear.

  35. 35.

    Punchy

    July 1, 2007 at 6:39 pm

    I’m gonna do it (write the letters, not indulge in bestiality)

    Thanks for clearing that up.

  36. 36.

    BIRDZILLA

    July 1, 2007 at 9:01 pm

    If you can realy trust polls taken by the Communists Broadcasting System after all CBS is the LYING EYE

  37. 37.

    Krista

    July 1, 2007 at 9:18 pm

    Punchy Says:

    Look, blonde babes!

    Zellweger has a nice pooper but a buttah face.

    Oh yeah….and Bush sucks. Carry on.

    Oh you silver-tongued devil, you….

  38. 38.

    bernarda

    July 2, 2007 at 5:59 am

    In the Way Back machine, we can find these comments by Wisconsin Senator Robert Lafollette on his opposition to entering WWI

    “Mr. President, I had supposed until recently that it was the duty of senators and representatives in Congress to vote and act according to their convictions on all public matters that came before them for consideration and decision. Quite another doctrine has recently been promulgated by certain newspapers, which unfortunately seems to have found considerable support elsewhere, and that is the doctrine of “standing back of the President” without inquiring whether the President is right or wrong.

    For myself, I have never subscribed to that doctrine and never shall. I shall support the President in the measures he proposes when I believe them to be right. I shall oppose measures proposed by the President when I believe them to be wrong. The fact that the matter which the President submits for consideration is of the greatest importance is only an additional reason why we should be sure that we are right and not to be swerved from that conviction or intimidating in its expression by any influence of its power whatsoever.”

    http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5017

  39. 39.

    Zifnab

    July 2, 2007 at 9:28 am

    In the Way Back machine, we can find these comments by Wisconsin Senator Robert Lafollette on his opposition to entering WWI

    Damn hippie commie.

  40. 40.

    mrmobi

    July 2, 2007 at 9:58 am

    But the higher that stack of “Get Out of Iraq!” emails a Congressdude gets, the harder it is for that person to stay the course, politically speaking.

    Right you are, Zif. We all like to talk about “political courage” around here, but I think that once you get to DC, there’s a tendency for that to evaporate absent evidence that your constituents are consistently angry about an issue.

    I’m on vacation next week, so I’ll join in with some letters, although they’ll be of the “attaboy” type, since my senators are Obama and Durbin, and my representative is Rahm Emmanuel.
    I’m going to make them letters, also, nothing like a physical presence to add to a (hopefully) huge stack.

  41. 41.

    mrmobi

    July 2, 2007 at 10:15 am

    Off topic, but I think we should have a national vote and if there is even a small majority, we should import Great Britain’s terrorists.

    I mean, we’re talking about guys who failed 66% of the time to ignite car bombs made from gasoline. College graduates, and doctors, for fucks’ sake. If, as is constantly suggested by members of this administration, it is not a question of if, but when we are going to be attacked, give me the terrorists who can’t ignite gasoline every time.

    If you watched CNN at all on Saturday, however, you might be forgiven for thinking that the Jeep in Scotland burned all fucking day. They don’t even bother putting up “earlier today” on the clips anymore.

    Just BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

  42. 42.

    HyperIon

    July 2, 2007 at 5:02 pm

    what is a super-majority?

    is it like a super-star or a super-size or a super-model?

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