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Graphic Courtesy of Michelle Malkin

AP: Senate rejects calls on Iraq troop pullout

The GOP-controlled Senate on Thursday rejected Democratic calls to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq by years’ end, as the two parties sought to define their election-year positions on a war that has grown increasingly unpopular.

“Withdrawal is not an option. Surrender is not a solution,” declared Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who characterized Democrats as defeatists wanting to abandon Iraq before the mission is complete.

In an 86-13 vote, the Senate turned back a proposal from some Democrats that would require the administration to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by July 1, 2007, with redeployments beginning this year. No Republicans voted in favor of the plan.

Allah has the roll call votes:

Kerry-Feingold killed, 86-13. Recall that the previous version of the amendment was defeated 93-6 last week; the new version was substantially identical except that it pushed the deadline for complete withdrawal back six months from the end of this year to the middle of next.

The rolls are up. The 13 Dems who voted for Kerry-Feingold:

Akaka (D-HI)
Boxer (D-CA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Wyden (D-OR)

Minutes later, the Senate rejected by 60-39 the proposal more popular with Democrats, a nonbinding resolution that would call for the administration to begin withdrawing troops, but with no timetable for the war’s end.

The roll call for Levin-Reed. Democrats voting against:

Dayton (D-MN)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)

Lieberman will take some flack for this vote (will he run as an independent?) and note Hillary caved under Leftie Netroots pressure and voted for Levin-Reed.

Well, there you go. Thirteen Left Senators voting to “Cut and Run.” The remaining Dims hide and vote for a meaningless watered down version of “Cut and Run.”

Not a ground swell of support is there?

Do the Democrats have a plan, besides “Cut and Run?”

NOPE.

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Technorati Tags: IraqWar, Levin-Reed, Kerry-Feingold

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shakes hands with California National Guard members during a tour of the U.S./Mexico border area near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. Schwarzenegger toured the area from a helicopter and held a news conference along the border fence.

Reuters: Schwarzenegger demands Congress act on immigration

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took the U.S. Congress to task on Wednesday before a tour of his state’s border with Mexico, demanding it pass legislation to address illegal immigration.

“I believe it is totally irresponsible for the politicians in Washington, D.C. to have failed yet again to pass a comprehensive immigration reform plan and address this national crisis,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

“Until our border is secure, I know all Americans share my concern about drug trafficking and illegal immigration, as well as the possibility of terrorists entering our country undetected,” he said.

This is typical election year blustering from Arnold. On the issue of illegal immigration he has been inconsistent at best.

First, he was with the Minutemen. Then, he was against a border wall. And he BLAMED the federal government for inaction.

And…….now what?

Come on Arnold…..tell us what you plan?

It is easy to criticize the Congress but Governor Schwarzenegger how about allocating some resources to help build better border security fencing or support a California Border Police initiative? Or committ some resources to help our National Guard troops?
If you want to discuss illegal immigration then how about acting like a policy maker instead of a bloviating actor turned politico.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent talks on his walkie-talkie as he works along the U.S.-Mexico border fence before a news conference held by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Stay tuned……

Discuss this blog post and MORE…. at the FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blogs, My Dental Forum

A US Border Patrol officer patrols the fence at the US-Mexico border near Nogales, Arizona.

Previous:

Illegal Immigration Watch: GOP Congressional Leaders – Pathway to Citizenship Bill is DEAD

Illegal Immigration Watch: Pennsylvania City to “CRACKDOWN” on Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigration Watch: Operation Return to Sender

Illegal Immigration Watch: Federal Immigration Agents Raid Dulles International Airport

Illegal Immigration Watch: Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Wants “A LONG LOOK” at Senate Immigration Bill

Illegal Immigration Watch: Mexican Border Crossings Reduced Since National Guard Troops Deployed

Illegal Immigration Watch: Arizona Court Upholds Immigration Smuggling Law

Illegal Immigration Watch: California Anti-illegal Immigration Billboards Go Up on Freeways

Illegal Immigration Watch: Watch Illegal Aliens Cross From Mexico into the United States on the Internet

Illegal Immigration Watch: “Anchor” Babies Away

Illegal Immigration Watch: Dunkin’ Donuts Now Screening Employees For Work Status

Illegal Immigration Watch: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Orders National Guard To Mexican Border

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Technorati Tags: illegalimmigration, illegalaliens, ArnoldSchwarzenegger

South Korean protesters shout slogans as they carry mock North Korean missile during an anti-North Korea rally in downtown Seoul, Thursday, June 22, 2006. Japan has sent ships and planes to monitor North Korea amid regional jitters about a possible long-range missile launch, officials said Thursday, but played down the communist nation’s capacity to possibly load a nuclear warhead atop its rockets.

Reuters: US: North Korea far along in missile preparation

North Korea is far along in its preparations for a test of a long-range ballistic missile and the United States hopes the North Koreans will “give it up and not launch,” a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters it remained uncertain if North Korea actually planned to conduct a test-firing of the missile, which Washington has warned would be seen as a provocative act.

“I think what we’ve said publicly is we’re watching it very carefully and preparations are very far along. So you could, from a capability standpoint, have a launch. Now what they intend to do … of course we don’t know. What we hope they will do is give it up and not launch,” he said.

U.S. defense officials in Washington on Tuesday said the United States has activated its ground-based interceptor missile-defence system amid concerns over the possibility of a North Korean missile launch.

Hadley said the system is basically a research and development project with a “limited operational capability” and that its purpose would be to “defend the territory of the United States from attack,” a possible indication it would not be used to try to intercept a North Korean missile fired with an expected landing in the ocean.

Hadley repeated U.S. appeals that North Korea stick with its 1999 moratorium against such launches and return to six-party talks aimed at persuading Pyonyang to give up its nuclear programs.

“We think diplomacy is the right answer and that is what we are pursuing,” he said.

The United States is pursuing a diplomatic approach publically while they ready military assets to either preemptively destroy or intercept the missile.

South Korea’s Defense Minister is now stating that a North Korean missile test is not imminent.

The ball is in Kim Jong-Il’s court.

Will diplomacy be successful? Or will North Korea launch?

Ashton B. Carter, assistant secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton and William J. Perry,  secretary of defense write, If Necessary, Strike and Destroy

Should the United States allow a country openly hostile to it and armed with nuclear weapons to perfect an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering nuclear weapons to U.S. soil? We believe not.

David Warren in the Ottawa Citizen writes, An Act of War, Not a Test

By any standard of international law, the launch will be an act of war. The Americans, or anyone else with anti-missile capabilities, would thus be entirely within their rights to shoot it down. Nor would it be provocative to do so. The provocation consists in sending up the missile in the first place.

A commercial satellite photo of North Korea’s Nodong missile launch site taken on by a Digital Globe satellite and annotated and released by analysts at GlobalSecurity.org on May 24, 2006. The United States and Japan warned North Korea on Monday against a missile launch that experts say could reach as far as Alaska and threatened harsh action if the test flight goes ahead.

Stay tuned…..
Discuss this blog post and MORE…. at the FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blogs, My Dental Forum.

Previous:

North Korea Watch: United States Says “NO” to Direct Talks

North Korea Watch: Direct Talks with the United States?

North Korea Watch: Korea Says it “Is NOT Bound” by Missile Test Ban

North Korea Watch: United States Activates Missile Defense Shield – Part 2

North Korea Watch: United States Activates Missile Defense Shield

North Korea Watch: North Korea Threatens to “Mercilessly Wipe Out” US Forces In Case of War

North Korea Watch: North Korea Close to Test Firing Taepodong-2 Missile – Capable of Reaching Mainland United States

North Korea Watch: North Korea Denies Reported Plans to Test-Fire a Long-Range Missile Capable of Reaching the U.S. Mainland

North Korea Watch: Preparing to Launch A Long Range Ballistic Missile?

North Korea Watch: North Koreans Can and Have Made a Few Nuclear Devices

North Korea Harvesting More Plutonium for Nuclear Weapons

North Korea Warned

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Technorati Tags: NorthKorea, KimJongIl, MissileDefenseAgency

Day By Day by Chris Muir

LAND SHARK………

Discuss this blog post and MORE…. at the FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blogs, My Dental Forum.

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Technorati Tags: DayByDay, ChrisMuir