Mark Warner Rejects Timeline for Withdrawal from Iraq

[Frodo]

From what I am hearing from him, I am liking him more and more as a presidential candidate.  I am uncertain what impact these statements will have on his prospects for being nominated by his party, but I am glad to see that there are at least some Democrats who are willing to put politics aside and the national interest first and foremost in ensuring that when we do in fact leave Iraq, it will be a more stable entity able to defend itself.  Too many Democrats -leftists in particular- are too gleeful in using the war as a partisan punching bag:

Democrat Gov. Warner rejects Iraq withdrawal date

28 Nov 2005 21:53:38 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Daniel Trotta

NEW YORK, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The United States needs to set milestones for progress, not a firm withdrawal date, before it can leave Iraq, Virginia governor and prospective Democratic presidential candidate Mark Warner said on Monday.

"This Democrat doesn't think we need to re-fight how we got into (the Iraq war). I think we need to focus more on how to finish it," Warner said.

"To set an arbitrary deadline or specific date is not appropriate," he said. "... It is incumbent on the president to set milestones for what he believes will be the conclusion."

source

[Frodo]

Thoughts?  Comments? 

Is there anyone here who was hesitant about supporting Mark Warner now willing to give him a closer look?  And on the flip side, I'm also curious to see if any leftist antiwar Democrats here are having second thoughts about Mark Warner the way some on DU are having. 

[phk]

If he keeps up his stance and by 2007, support for the war begins to wane on a national level as its been doing for awhile. He'll die down.

[Moooooo]

I agree that a timetable for withdrawl is probably not the best idea in that it will give the insurgency a holdout date.  I agree that milestones should be set and after we succeed or fail in reaching those milestones we should re-evaluate our position in Iraq.

The only negative is, this type of statement on the war is not going to help him in the Democratic primary.

By the way, it must be true that Wes Clark and Mark Warner have been speaking a lot lately because this is pretty much what Clark has been saying in a nutshell for over a year now.

[MODU]

I agree (and have advocated) his stance.

[Gabu]

Is there anyone here who was hesitant about supporting Mark Warner now willing to give him a closer look?

I was already a supporter of Mark Warner and this does not change that one bit.

[King]

Too bad his face looks like a foot.

[Gabu]

Too bad his face looks like a foot.

And Bush looks like a chimpanzee.  Your point?

[Frodo]

The only negative is, this type of statement on the war is not going to help him in the Democratic primary.

Maybe, but the fact that he is going out on a limb, so to speak, deserves respect -he has certainly won mine.  He knows statements like these will hurt him with the Sixties-Redux base of the Democratic Party, but he nonetheless is willing to leave his partisanship at the shore's edge. 

He is an old fashioned Democrat, of sorts.

EDIT: And besides, we have more than two years until the primaries and caucuses begin.  Who knows what Iraq will be then?     

[Frodo]

Too bad his face looks like a foot.

An astute observation, as always. 

[King]

Too bad his face looks like a foot.

An astute observation, as always. 

I will probably support him, but too bad his face looks like a foot.

[Moooooo]

Good picture of Warner.

 

He actually looks like a Kennedy to me.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

My view of Warner just went down quite a bit. He just gave Bush some political cover. We will not support anyone who calls Iraq anything other that what it is, a war started for no good reason by a terrorist warmonger.

[© tweed]

I like Mark Warner, alot.  He understands things.

He understands that a full-scale pullout from Iraq by New Years' 2007 would be a disaster, and that the place would turn into a terrorist stomping ground and Islamic anarchist mess.

He also doesn't seem to care about partisan politics.  He's not dumb, he ralizes this won't play well in the primaries, but he doesn't care too much.

And Warner doesn't look like a Kennedy.  The Kennedys are invariably sexy; even Teddy was hot back in the day.

[The Duke]

Good picture of Warner.

 

He actually looks like a Kennedy to me.

He must have been an adopted Kennedy.

[Gabu]

We will not support anyone who calls Iraq anything other that what it is, a war started for no good reason by a terrorist warmonger.

I sincerely hope, in that case, that your side of the Democratic Party does not decide who our nominee is, as that is a formula for certain defeat.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

We will not support anyone who calls Iraq anything other that what it is, a war started for no good reason by a terrorist warmonger.

I sincerely hope, in that case, that your side of the Democratic Party does not decide who our nominee is, as that is a formula for certain defeat.

What does my side of the Democratic party mean? It's a lot more than just Democrats that are mad about this war.

[A18]

You are an absolute joke if you think most Americans agree with that opinion.

[opebo]

I agree that a timetable for withdrawl is probably not the best idea in that it will give the insurgency a holdout date. 

The 'insurgency' is the legitimate government of Iraq, now that Saddam has been unjustly dislodged.  That is the legitimacy that resisting a foreign invader gives one.  Lets call it the DeGaulle effect.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

You are an absolute joke if you think most Americans agree with that opinion.

OK, let's humor you.

Latest Bush disapproval on Iraq: 63%
Latest was not worth going to war: 60%
Latest bring troops home in next year: 63%

http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm

[A18]

You have this really stupid habit of using a poll that shows something much more mild in order to demonstrate that the American people believe something entirely different.

Where's the last "Bush is a terrorist" poll?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

You have this really stupid habit of using a poll that shows something much more mild in order to demonstrate that the American people believe something entirely different.

Where's the last "Bush is a terrorist" poll?

Face it, the "moderates" are starting feel the same about Bush as the liberals did 3 years ago. Of course the liberals don't feel the same now as the liberals did 3 years ago.

[A18]

What does 'that' have to do with this, or anything for that matter?

[Democratic Hawk]

Is there anyone here who was hesitant about supporting Mark Warner now willing to give him a closer look? 

Well, as you know, I'm not a leftist Democrat and have been advocating Evan Bayh (as a former governor of Indiana rather than an incumbent senator) more or less since the day after George W Bush was re-elected but I've always been favourable towards Mark Warner

I'm pleased to see Warner taking a responsible position regarding Iraq. The problem for Bayh - as a co-sponsor of the Bill giving Bush the authority to take military action if necessary against Saddam (and it was) - is that this will not play down well with the left-liberal Democratic primary voters but I'd rather Bayh stand firm to his convictions and NOT flip-flop to appease them. I've always maintained that Democratic leaders should be confronting the dovish base not appease them

If Bayh does a "Sam Nunn'' and abandon his 'hawkish' convictions, then it is likely that my support would shift to Warner

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

The only negative is, this type of statement on the war is not going to help him in the Democratic primary.

Let's just say those Democrats who don't fecklessly appease the base regarding the Iraq War will be far more worthy of my respect. It's time for a leading Democrat to have a 'Sister Souljah' moment and confront the dovish base of the Democratic Party

The extent of the 1972 McGovern defeat gives me nightmares but I blame the Democratic Party as it was. In fact, it would have been the only occasion that I'd have endorsed a Republican. It's something I don't want to consider in 2008

Dave