(cross-posted from Calitics)
We may not have gotten him on the McGovern amendment, but Jerry McNerney will be voting NO on the supplemental Iraq funding bill. The lack of benchmarks, timetable, training and equipment were all cited in his statement. This is a very good statement, strong against the bill.
Check the full statement below the flip. Reward good behavior. Call his office: 202-225-1947 and thank him.
"Our troops have done everything we have asked of them. They have put their lives on the line in service to our country.
"They deserve our utmost respect and real leadership from the Congress.
"For our troops and their families, for our nation, we need a new direction in Iraq.
"That is why I cannot vote for a bill that does not include enforceable benchmarks, a reasonable timetable for redeploying our troops from Iraq , or the requirements for providing the training and equipment our men and women in uniform need.
"I cannot support another blank check for the President.
"Beginning in January this new Congress began the process of implementing new policies, of bringing accountability to the conduct of this war, and of forging a new direction in Iraq . That is what the American people demanded.
"Yet, this supplemental funding plan is a step backwards because it is a blank check for the President. I have consistently called for real benchmarks and a reasonable redeployment timetable. This bill provides neither.
"Critically, the bill includes no provisions to ensure that our troops are prepared, rested, and ready for the battles they must wage - a rejection of the Pentagon's own standards.
"Not only that, but this bill includes no requirement to use diplomacy to create the framework to end this conflict, the course recommended by the Iraq Study Group. And there is no plan to reduce the tremendous strain on our military or to refocus our nation's efforts on the broader war on terror.
"Supporting our troops means providing our men and women in uniform all of the means necessary to carry out their mission and bring a responsible close to the conflict in Iraq . This bill does not do that and I cannot support it."