Rep. Steve Rothman's call Thursday to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq within six months drew a myriad of responses, ranging from applause to derision.
The Fair Lawn Democrat became the first member of New Jersey's congressional delegation to publicly call for an outright withdrawal, although Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, and Donald Payne, D-Newark, have supported legislation for a redeployment of troops throughout the Middle East.
"This should spur more of our legislators to come out publicly on this," said Madelyn Hoffman, director of NJ Peace Action, which has lobbied members of Congress to push for a withdrawal.
But Rothman's stance was condemned by some Republicans, who said military leaders should determine when troops leave.
We have civilian oversight of the military, as the Commander-in-Chief likes to remind us all the time when he plays dress up. It isn't actually the military's job to determine when troops leave, it's the civilian leadership's job.
Then we have:
Rep. Scott Garrett disagreed. The Wantage Republican said everyone wants to see soldiers return unharmed and as soon as possible. "But, we rely on our military leaders on the ground to inform our decisions and we shouldn't second-guess their experience."
But military leaders on the ground can't publicly disagree with the civilian leadership. They aren't allowed. What they can do is, you know, call up their buddy Jack Murtha and let him speak for them. Which is what they did.