Abercrombie votes against "prescription for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely"

Abercrombie is a cosponsor of bipartisan House Joint Resolution 55, which calls on the President to announce a withdrawal timetable, with troops to begin returning home no later than October 1, 2006.

House Republican leaders have refused to bring up Abercrombie’s measure for a debate and vote, so he is gathering the signatures of other Representatives on a Discharge Petition to bring House Joint Resolution 55 to the floor.

The operative heart of House Resolution 612 reads: “[S]etting an artificial timetable for the withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Iraq, or immediately terminating their deployment in Iraq and redeploying them elsewhere in the region, is fundamentally inconsistent with achieving victory in Iraq….”

“House Resolution 612 is a prescription for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely,” said Abercrombie.  “It appears to have been written in concert with the Republican National Committee.  It dovetails perfectly with their t.v. ads attacking Democrats who question President Bush’s flawed decision to go to war and his subsequent mismanagement of the conflict.”

At the same time House Republican leaders were rushing House Resolution 612 through the chamber with minimal debate, they refused to bring to the floor a measure (House Resolution 613) containing bipartisan language congratulating Iraqis for successfully conducting an election for a national government.

“This cynical partisan manipulation is unworthy of our troops,” said Abercrombie.  “They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them, and they deserve our thanks and support.  Our challenge now is to formulate a policy worthy of their heroism and sacrifices.  House Resolution 612 fails miserably in that regard. Instead, it substitutes empty posturing for serious policy deliberation.”

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