Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[BullNBear52]

I don't think my congressman is thrilled either.


Coble reiterates Iraq war concerns
BY PAUL B. JOHNSON
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
TRIAD – A vote on a bill Tuesday in the U.S. Senate has left Rep. Howard Coble feeling vindicated about his concerns over the war in Iraq. Coble, R-6th, was one of the first Republican congressman to raise questions a year ago about the direction of the war. He has continued to argue that, while it was necessary to overthrow the Saddam Hussein dictatorship, the White House has languished in its post-invasion operations. On Tuesday, the Republicancontrolled Senate passed a measure that calls for the administration to provide lawmakers with quarterly reports on the status of Iraq operations. The Senate considered but rejected a proposal for a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal. The measure could be taken up by the full House later this year. Coble said Wednesday that the Senate debate “is an extension of what I was saying back in January.” The chairman of the House subcommittee on homeland security said he hasn’t called for setting a timetable for troop withdrawal, but “that’s not to say I won’t embrace a timetable at some point.” The U.S. government has done a poor job with an exit strategy from Iraq, Coble said. Rep. Mel Watt, D-12th, said Congress wants more accountability from the White House on the Iraq war. “We delegated too much away when the war began,” said Watt, who represents High Point in Congress along with Coble. “Congress, like the American people, is asking, ‘Where will this end?’ ”