Republican Senators Give The Meat Grinder Another Turn

Republican Senators were successful this morning in blocking a vote on the Levin-Reed bill. Proposed by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Jack Reed, D-R.I, the measure aimed to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. It's another failure for a legislative body that seems more content to be a lapdog of the Bush Administration than one half of a strong and co-equal branch of government.

Shame on them!

This latest disgrace seems to defy both reason or logic. Here's why:

• Sectarian violence continues in Iraq and despite a troop surge, U.S. casualties show no sign of slowing down. Here are the figures for the last four months: June - 108, May - 130, April - 115, March - 81

• On July 14, Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, stated, "We say in full confidence that we are able, God willing, to take the responsibility completely in running the security file if the international forces withdraw at anytime they want."

• In Afghanistan, Al-Quaida is operating along the Pakistani border and until recently, it appears with the cooperation of the Pakistani government. U.S. intelligence indicates that they are in Waziristan, just over the border, and that Osama bin Laden is believed to be in the area.

• The most recent National Intelligence Estimate reported that, "(al Qaeda) is beefing up efforts to sneak operatives into the United States . . . we judge that al Qaeda will intensify its efforts to put operatives here . . . we judge that the United States currently is in a heightened threat environment."

In summary:

Our troops are getting slaughtered by rocket propelled grenades and roadside bombs at the rate of approximately 100 a month, the Iraqi prime minister says that he can function without us, and Al Qaeda's is flourishing along the Pakistani border.

So here's my question:

Why in the hell are we continuing to waste resources in Iraq?