Senator Corker said generals should decide when to withdraw from Iraq
Paige Gabriel
Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 4 next >
By Paige Gabriel
Staff Reporter
Last week, both the House and the Senate passed Bill HR 1591 which will authorize $122 billion in funding for the war in Iraq and call for withdrawal of troops from Iraq starting in the summer of this year and ending in September of 2008.
In the coming weeks, the bill will go back to the House and the Senate so that the two bodies can agree on a form of the bill to pass on to the President. President Bush has promised to veto the bill if it gets to his desk.
Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee voted against the bill because he said he does not support the proposed exit date.
"I voted against this bill because it includes language that sets an arbitrary date for withdrawal in Iraq," Corker said. "I believe we must give General Petraeus an opportunity to turn what has been a downward spiral in Iraq into an upward spiral so that Iraq has the ability to take over its own destiny and maintain its own security."
Craig Laing, associate professor of sociology, anthropology, and geography, also disagrees with an exit date being included in the bill.
"This is a political move in my opinion to embarrass the President," Laing said. "The democrats have done everything since the Florida election in 2000 to thwart his efforts and this is a continuation of those efforts. What you have is [if you set an exit date] then they can just sit back and wait for us to pull out and then all Hell will break loose."
Corker also believes that setting an exit date will tie the hands of the military.
" I don't want to hinder General Petraeus' ability to succeed, and I believe that setting an arbitrary withdrawal date-before we have even had the opportunity to assess our progress-would do just that," Corker said. "General Petraeus has stated on numerous occasions that we will know by mid-summer whether progress is being made. Instead of offering thoughts about what might happen in the future, I believe we should give General Petraeus and out troops on the ground in Iraq the time, resources, and support they need and deserve."
Staff Reporter
Last week, both the House and the Senate passed Bill HR 1591 which will authorize $122 billion in funding for the war in Iraq and call for withdrawal of troops from Iraq starting in the summer of this year and ending in September of 2008.
In the coming weeks, the bill will go back to the House and the Senate so that the two bodies can agree on a form of the bill to pass on to the President. President Bush has promised to veto the bill if it gets to his desk.
Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee voted against the bill because he said he does not support the proposed exit date.
"I voted against this bill because it includes language that sets an arbitrary date for withdrawal in Iraq," Corker said. "I believe we must give General Petraeus an opportunity to turn what has been a downward spiral in Iraq into an upward spiral so that Iraq has the ability to take over its own destiny and maintain its own security."
Craig Laing, associate professor of sociology, anthropology, and geography, also disagrees with an exit date being included in the bill.
"This is a political move in my opinion to embarrass the President," Laing said. "The democrats have done everything since the Florida election in 2000 to thwart his efforts and this is a continuation of those efforts. What you have is [if you set an exit date] then they can just sit back and wait for us to pull out and then all Hell will break loose."
Corker also believes that setting an exit date will tie the hands of the military.
" I don't want to hinder General Petraeus' ability to succeed, and I believe that setting an arbitrary withdrawal date-before we have even had the opportunity to assess our progress-would do just that," Corker said. "General Petraeus has stated on numerous occasions that we will know by mid-summer whether progress is being made. Instead of offering thoughts about what might happen in the future, I believe we should give General Petraeus and out troops on the ground in Iraq the time, resources, and support they need and deserve."
