Brownback Reverses Course, Again.
2 votes
McLEAN, VA -- Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), who voted last month against the military "surge" in Iraq along with most Democrats, announced in legislative debate March 15th that he now favors a troop increase. The Presidential candidate's statements were at odds with those made in prior months, including in a press release from his Senate office on January 10, 2007.
“I do not believe that sending more troops to Iraq is the answer,” said Brownback. “Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution." The released further quoted Brownback as saying "We cannot achieve a political solution while a military solution is imposed. The best way to reach a democratic Iraq is to empower the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own nation building.”
Just last month, when questioned on why he was voting with Senate Democrats on a non-binding resolution to oppose the "surge" Brownback responded that he favored the "political solution" of segmenting Iraq into a loose federal coalition. He further explained that in he "had spoken with Iraqi leaders and General Petraeus, who, at least when he headed Fort Leavenworth in Mr. Brownback's home state, had never told the senator that he favored more soldiers."
But in remarks on the Senate floor last Thursday, Brownback took a much different stance. During a debate on Senator Harry Reid's (D-NV) resolution to set a time table for troop withdrawal, the presidential hopeful continued to promote the idea of a segregated Iraq, but added: "I think we need to recognize that political solution that is there, the exterior forces, and push this political solution in the environment of a more stable military apparatus and military operation." (Cong. Rec. Pg. S1383)
Brownback later expressed direct support for the surge, suggesting that Congress "oversee" the current military operations instead of "undercut[ting]" it:
"I am not calling for an open-ended commitment to Iraq. I am suggesting that our commitment be driven by the mission. We must complete it. We must get this done. We can express opposition to the surge, which I have certainly done. But after doing so, I think we should oversee the implementation of it, not to try to undercut it, nor should we attempt to interrupt a mission just getting underway." (Cong. Rec. Pg. S1384)
Senator Brownback voted against the resolution, which failed in the Senate by a vote of 48-50.
The apparent reversal in the Senator's stance comes just as news reports from Iraq suggest that the "surge" is having some positive outcomes. In an interview with Gordon Cucullu, Gen. Petraeus described what he called an "unthinkable" scenario just a few months ago: "I walked down the streets of Ramadi a few days ago, in a soft cap eating an ice cream with the mayor on one side of me and the police chief on the other, having a conversation." In other news, Iraqi tribesmen have turned on al Qaeda, killing 39 terrorists in clashes earlier today, and have been co-operating closely with Iraqi government forces and the U.S. military.
Some pundits suggested that recent hints of success such as this may have prompted Brownback's turn-around on the Senate floor. For whatever reason, the Kansas Senator now appears to be in favor of at least seeing the "surge" tactic through. He ended his floor speech on Thursday with the admonishment, "Iraq is unquestionably a key front in the war on terror, and it is essential we prevail against the terrorists in Iraq."
“I do not believe that sending more troops to Iraq is the answer,” said Brownback. “Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution." The released further quoted Brownback as saying "We cannot achieve a political solution while a military solution is imposed. The best way to reach a democratic Iraq is to empower the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own nation building.”
Just last month, when questioned on why he was voting with Senate Democrats on a non-binding resolution to oppose the "surge" Brownback responded that he favored the "political solution" of segmenting Iraq into a loose federal coalition. He further explained that in he "had spoken with Iraqi leaders and General Petraeus, who, at least when he headed Fort Leavenworth in Mr. Brownback's home state, had never told the senator that he favored more soldiers."
But in remarks on the Senate floor last Thursday, Brownback took a much different stance. During a debate on Senator Harry Reid's (D-NV) resolution to set a time table for troop withdrawal, the presidential hopeful continued to promote the idea of a segregated Iraq, but added: "I think we need to recognize that political solution that is there, the exterior forces, and push this political solution in the environment of a more stable military apparatus and military operation." (Cong. Rec. Pg. S1383)
Brownback later expressed direct support for the surge, suggesting that Congress "oversee" the current military operations instead of "undercut[ting]" it:
"I am not calling for an open-ended commitment to Iraq. I am suggesting that our commitment be driven by the mission. We must complete it. We must get this done. We can express opposition to the surge, which I have certainly done. But after doing so, I think we should oversee the implementation of it, not to try to undercut it, nor should we attempt to interrupt a mission just getting underway." (Cong. Rec. Pg. S1384)
Senator Brownback voted against the resolution, which failed in the Senate by a vote of 48-50.
The apparent reversal in the Senator's stance comes just as news reports from Iraq suggest that the "surge" is having some positive outcomes. In an interview with Gordon Cucullu, Gen. Petraeus described what he called an "unthinkable" scenario just a few months ago: "I walked down the streets of Ramadi a few days ago, in a soft cap eating an ice cream with the mayor on one side of me and the police chief on the other, having a conversation." In other news, Iraqi tribesmen have turned on al Qaeda, killing 39 terrorists in clashes earlier today, and have been co-operating closely with Iraqi government forces and the U.S. military.
Some pundits suggested that recent hints of success such as this may have prompted Brownback's turn-around on the Senate floor. For whatever reason, the Kansas Senator now appears to be in favor of at least seeing the "surge" tactic through. He ended his floor speech on Thursday with the admonishment, "Iraq is unquestionably a key front in the war on terror, and it is essential we prevail against the terrorists in Iraq."
