Progressive Unity on Iraq: Redeployment Must Begin Immediately

Rethugs will be the end of this country.
The good news: maybe we will never have to see Bill "Cat Killer" Frist's ugly, smug face again

Think Progress � Progressive Unity on Iraq: Redeployment Must Begin Immediately:

"Today, the Senate will debate a pair of amendments that urge the administration to begin a phased redeployment of American troops out of Iraq. Increasingly, progressives and conservatives are unifying behind two very different approaches to resolving the Iraq conflict. Progressives across the spectrum believe that redeployment of U.S. forces must begin immediately:

[Sen. Jack] Reed (D-RI) said redeployment should begin, as quickly as possible, to ease the strain on the troops, but added that the measure does not establish a pace.

Joint statement of Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): 'Our troops have done their job in Iraq. It is time to redeploy, to help increase stability in Iraq, and more importantly, to strengthen the national security of the United States.'

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI): '[The amendment] does urge that a phased redeployment begin this year, partly as a way of moving away from an open-ended commitment and a way of avoiding Iraqi dependency on a U.S. security blanket.'

Conservatives, however, remain wedded to Bush's stay the course (over a cliff) rhetoric, unwilling to make any promises of a near-term departure from Iraq.

In defense of Bush, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) said:
Retreat is not an option. Those calling for an early withdrawal of American troops from Iraq utterly fail to understand the potentially catastrophic implications of their proposal."