Congressman Murtha's idea for checking additional Iraq troops: demand adequate training, equipment

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: Democrats to Focus on Troop Funding
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 15, 2007

....In a letter to the president on Wednesday, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said, ''thousands of the new troops'' being sent into Iraq ''will apparently not have the armor and equipment they need to perform the mission and reduce the likelihood of casualties.''

Demanding that troops meet certain requirements before being sent into harms' way was an idea initiated by Rep. Jack Murtha, the top Democrat on the House committee that oversees military spending.

Murtha, a war veteran who advocates pulling troops out of Iraq, has said he wants to forbid the Pentagon from sending additional troops ''unless they have adequate training and unless they have adequate equipment.''

Murtha, D-Pa., said he believes the Army may have no units that can meet those standards, meaning Bush's attempt to send more troops to Iraq would be checked. Congress also could try to slow the deployment of additional troops by curtailing the Pentagon's practice of extending the duty tours of personnel who have reached the end of their scheduled time in the war zone....

***

Supporting the troops, ''means giving them the equipment they need, whether you agree with the mission that they are on or not,'' Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters after meeting with Bush at the White House....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-US-Iraq.html

[bigtree]

1. see republican attack response

here (fwiw): http://www.gop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=6793

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Oh, brother. Still using "cut and run" -- nt

[bigtree]

3. that's why beginning the funding debate with 'readiness' is its own defense

they have the same message, but Murtha's approach eclipses their phony concern for the troops by highlighting where they've left the soldiers hanging.

[pinto]

4. Kick.