History Forum / General / British History / July 2007

Congressman Clyburn: Positive Report by General Petraeus Could Split House
Democrats on War

By Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writer and Washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Monday, July 30, 2007

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly
positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would
split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to press for a
timetable to end the war.

Poor Babies! -- DSH

Clyburn, in an interview with the washingtonpost.com video program PostTalk,
said Democrats might be wise to wait for the Petraeus report, scheduled to
be delivered in September, before charting next steps in their year-long
struggle with President Bush over the direction of U.S. strategy.

Translation:

"We Cut & Run Democrats are beginning to get cold feet about what we have
been doing.  -- DSH

Clyburn noted that Petraeus carries significant weight among the 47 members
of the Blue Dog caucus in the House, a group of moderate to conservative
Democrats. Without their support, he said, Democratic leaders would find it
virtually impossible to pass legislation setting a timetable for withdrawal.

Translation:

The so-called Blue-Dog Democrats are the only sensible, well-informed,
patriotic ones among the House Democrats. -- DSH

"I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the
course and if the Republicans were to stay united as they have been, then it
would be a problem for us," Clyburn said. "We, by and large, would be wise
to wait on the report."

Hilarious! -- DSH

Translation:

"We would be wise to find out what the actual facts on the ground are before
we decide to cut & run. -- DSH

Many Democrats have anticipated that, at best, Petraeus and U.S. ambassador
to Iraq Ryan Crocker would present a mixed analysis of the success of the
current troop surge strategy, given continued violence in Baghdad. But of
late there have been signs that the commander of U.S. forces might be
preparing something more generally positive. Clyburn said that would be "a
real big problem for us."

Translation:

"We Democrats of my persuasion WANT the United States to LOSE this war,
because we think that would be a Really Good Thing for us and our Party; we
are confident the voters will put the blame on Bush and the Republicans.
BUT we are beginning to get cold feet on that score. -- DSH

Clyburn's comments came as House and Senate Democrats try to figure out
their next steps in the legislative battle. Clyburn said he could foresee a
circumstance in which House Democrats approve a measure without a timetable
for withdrawing U.S. forces, which has been the consistent goal of the party
throughout the months-long debate. But he said he could just as easily see
Democrats continue to include a timetable.

Clyburn also addressed the reasons behind declining approval ratings for
Congress, which spiked earlier in the year when Democrats took over the
House and Senate. The most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed just
37 percent approving of the performance of Congress.

"Remember right after the election it went very high on approval,?" he said.
"Then all of a sudden people saw that we were not yielding the kind of
result that they wanted to yield."

Translation:

"The Loony, Defeatist, Unpatriotic, Left-Wing of the Democrat Party felt we
had not delivered the goods as promised -- a rapid pullout, cut & run from
Iraq -- without regard for the consequences, just as we forced in Vietnam --
i.e., the Cindy Sheehan Strategy concerning Iraq. -- DSH

He said most Americans still do not know some of the domestic legislation
that has been approved. Fewer understand that, despite Democratic majorities
in both houses, that it takes 60 votes to pass anything legislation in the
Senate.

Clyburn noted that while overall approval ratings of Congress are low,
people still rate Democrats higher than Republicans. "People feel good about
the Democratic Party, they just don't feel real good about the Congress
itself."

Wishful Thinking, whistling past the graveyard.

DSH

Lux et Veritas et Libertas

Veni, Vidi, Calcitravi Asinum