I’ve always suspected that my congresswomen – Rep. Chellie Pingree (D. Maine) – was a complete twit. Now my suspicions have ripened into certitude. From yesterday’s New York Times:
In a strong bipartisan endorsement of the Obama administration’s policy in Afghanistan, the House of Representatives on Wednesday soundly rejected a call to withdraw American troops by the end of the year.
After a three-hour debate held to allow antiwar Democrats to air their dissent, the House voted 356 to 65 to reject the withdrawal proposal. Five Republicans joined 60 Democrats in support of pulling out; 189 Democrats and 167 Republicans were opposed.
Although the outcome was never in doubt, debate on the resolution written by Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, offered a preview of Congressional consideration later this year of the administration’s request for money to pay for operations in Afghanistan.
Under the proposal, Mr. Kucinich would have invoked the War Powers Act to force the withdrawal of American troops within 30 days, or by the end of the year if the president judged that a more rapid departure would be unsafe.
The plan’s supporters contended that the United States was aiding a corrupt government in Afghanistan and siphoning scarce resources for the sake of an unwinnable conflict when there were greater needs at home.
“Is the cost of this war worth it?” asked Representative Chellie Pingree, Democrat of Maine. “Can we afford to turn our backs on the challenges we face at home and continue to pursue failed policies abroad?”
Clearly, Rep. Pingree is – like a bug trapped in amber – mindlessly devoted to the familiar meme of the prehistoric left: that America is wrong, it’s bad, it’s responsible for the world’s ills and that its military cannot win.
I seem to recall Ms. Pingree and her ilk saying the same thing about Iraq.
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