House Armed Services Chief Rep. Buck McKeon (R – CA) today warned that he will block any attempt to pass an authorization for the new ISIS war that includes any restriction on the use of US ground troops.
McKeon cited comments from former Pentagon chiefs saying the new war needed “boots on the ground,” and insisted any bill that aimed to limit that would be dead on arrival in his committee.
President Obama has repeatedly ruled out boots on the ground, though he’s sent some 3,000 ground troops already, and has amended that to say they won’t engage in combat. Even that, however, is being openly debated.
An authorization bill that aims to hold Obama to his word, then, might make some sense, but is facing major opposition from the assorted hawks, like McKeon, for whom the ongoing escalation is only the beginning of a broad, open-ended war.
What happened to absolutely no boots on the ground? By the time the election is over 3 months later it's already up to a "moderate" number of U.S. combat troops.
I have a dream. When the next battalion or brigade is told they are headed back to Iraq, they all put down their rifles and packs, and say HELL NO, WE WON"T GO.
If the war mongering millionaires hoping to get even richer off an open ended war aren't willing to go themselves, or send their sons and daughters, why should any of us "useless eaters" fight their wars for them.
Yeah, it's just a dream….but stranger things have happened.