[Davis Democrats] From DNC:another week of presidential incompetence-we should trust him to spy on everyone?

[John Chendo]

Filibuster alito who will  extend rbitrary presidential power and limit
congressional oversight
------ Forwarded Message
From: Women's Vote Center <democraticparty at democrats.org>
Reply-To: <dnc-0038h00o9e at mailer.democrats.org>
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 19:30:28 -0500
To: john chendo <jac07 at dcn.org>
Subject: Week In Review

 
   
   
  <http://www.democrats.org/a/communities/women/>
<http://www.democrats.org/a/communities/women/>
     
  

Friday, January 27, 2006
A Week Of Presidential Incompetence
It's been a tough week for President Bush. Americans learned of the deadly
consequences of the Bush Administration's failures from a
Pentagon-commissioned study about how the Bush Administration has hallowed
out our Armed Forces, and reports that the Bush Administration was warned
the levees in New Orleans were likely to break following Hurricane Katrina.
And saw the release of a government report that documented fraud,
incompetence and confusion in the two years of occupation immediately
following the Iraq War. From failed policies that have overstretched our
military to failing to properly plan for post-war reconstruction in Iraq to
the problems low-income seniors have in obtaining prescription drugs, this
week has again highlighted the serious consequences of the Bush
Administration's incompetence.

The American people are hungry for change. Democrats will work to help our
soldiers win the war on terror, and are committed to restoring honesty and
integrity in government. Democrats will get the job done, because America
deserves better."

Pentagon Study: US Military Overextended. The U.S. military is overextended
and can't sustain the pace of troop deployments required to defeat the
insurgency in Iraq or maintain stability in Afghanistan, according to a
study commissioned by the Pentagon. 'The ground forces required to provide
the necessary level of stability and security to Afghanistan and Iraq
clearly exceed those available for the mission,' said the analysis for the
Pentagon by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a
Washington-based defense policy research group. [Bloomberg, 1/25/06]

Report By Albright And Perry: Ground Forces Under Tremendous Strain.
According to a report by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and
former Secretary of Defense William Perry, 'the Army and Marine Corps ground
forces are stretched to the breaking point by the prolonged large commitment
of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and cannot sustain the current pace of
deployments 'without doing real damage to their forces.' Secretary Perry
said "although the U.S. forces are performing 'superbly' in the war on
terror, "our ground forces are under enormous strain. This strain, if not
soon relieved, will have highly corrosive and potentially long-term effects
on the force.'" [Copley News Service, 1/25/06]

Bush Was Warned About Katrina. Documents released this week by Congress show
that two days before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the White
House received detailed damage forecasts from Homeland Security officials
predicting that the city's levees might be overtopped or breached. Yet in
the days after the storm struck on Aug. 29, federal officials, including
President Bush, said the levee breaches could not have been foreseen.
Embattled former FEMA Director Michael Brown said, 'I think we were all
taken aback by the fact that the levees did break in so many places and
caused such widespread devastation.'" [AP, 1/24/06]

Study: Iraq Reconstruction Plagued By Fraud, Misuse Of Funds. A new audit of
American financial practices in Iraq has uncovered irregularities including
millions of reconstruction dollars stuffed casually into footlockers and
filing cabinets, an American soldier in the Philippines who gambled away
cash belonging to Iraq, and three Iraqis who plunged to their deaths in a
rebuilt hospital elevator that had been improperly certified as safe. The
audit, released Tuesday by the office of the Special Inspector General for
Iraq Reconstruction, expands on its previous findings of fraud, incompetence
and confusion as the American occupation poured money into training and
rebuilding programs in 2003 and 2004. The audit uncovers problems in an area
that includes half the landmass in Iraq." [New York Times, 1/24/06]

Low-Income Seniors Not Signing Up For Bush's Failed Prescription Drug Plan.
"Low-income seniors without Medicaid or prescription coverage are signing up
for a new Medicare drug benefit at a far slower rate than others, a sign the
program isn't reaching many of those who need it most. Fewer than 300,000 of
the 3.6 million people who have voluntarily enrolled in the drug program
were approved for a low-income subsidy. That's just 4% of the 8.2 million
people the Bush administration estimated could qualify for the subsidy. By
contrast, more than 3.3 million people have signed up for coverage without
qualifying for the subsidy. That's nearly 25% of an estimated 14 million
people without full prescription drug coverage who are not low-income." [USA
Today, 1/25/06]

The American people are hungry for change. Democrats will work to help our
soldiers win the war on terror, and are committed to restoring honesty and
integrity in government. Democrats will get the job done, because America
deserves better."
DEMOCRATS HAVE A PLAN FOR THE US MILITARY
The strains on the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are serious and growing, and
the viability of our All Volunteer Force is at risk. The Bush
Administration's failures have created a strain on our ground forces, in
spite of the superb job that our men and women in uniform are doing. This
strain, if not relieved soon will have a potentially disastrous effect on
the force - a force that is critical to protecting and advancing our
national interests, now and in the future.

Democrats offer a clear plan to address the problem and prepare for future
military needs:
> 
> 1. Fully fund the post-Iraq recovery and transformation of our ground forces.
> 2. Adapt the National Guard and Reserves for the future.
> 3. Increase the deployable Army forces by at least 30,000 personnel.
> 4. Rebalance U.S. military capabilities for 21st century missions such as
> combating terrorism. and insurgency and conducting reconstruction operations.
> 5. Increase support for recruiting and retention efforts.

Democrats know if we do not take action, the risks are clear:

The Army and the Marine Corps cannot sustain today's operational tempo
indefinitely without doing real damage to their forces. And if recruiting
trends do not improve over the next year, the Army, both active and reserve,
will experience great difficulty fully manning its planned force structure
and providing the needed rotation base for operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. This reality not only threatens the viability of our all All
Volunteer force, but limits America's ground force capability ready to
respond to other contingencies.

The American military deserves better. Resetting, recapitalizing and
modernizing our nation's ground forces will be no small challenge and will
require substantial and sustained investment. Democrats are unwavering in
our commitment to keeping our nation safe and supporting our Armed Forces.
We want to act now to protect and restore our armed forces and guarantee
U.S. national security. The American military deserves better. The American
people deserve better.
DEMOCRATS TAKING THE LEAD
STATE OF THE UNION WATCH PARTIES - JANUARY 31, 2006

Interested in attending a State of the Union watch party with other
Democrats? Ready to look at GOP Congress for the last time before we take
back the House and Senate in 2006? Then visit the DNC's online State of the
Union event page to learn about events in your area or sign up to be a host
for this important night.

http://www.democrats.org/events/sotu

We'll set you up with a proposed agenda, a fact sheet with specific
information for your state about the true impact of misguided Republican
priorities on your state, a State of the Union bingo game and a Democracy
Bonds Community Building Kit. Then join the nationwide conference call will
begin after Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) delivers the Democratic response. Sign
up by Monday, January 30 to have your materials in hand before the start of
the speech at 9 pm e.s.t.
CLOSING NOTE: LET THE GIRLS PLAY!
Next week on February 1 we celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Girls
and Women in Sports, a day designated by Congress in 1986 to honor female
athletic achievement and recognize the importance of sports and fitness
participation for all girls and women. As we approach the 2006 Winter
Olympics, where female athletes will represent our country in a variety of
events from snowboarding to speed skating, we are reminded of the positive
opportunities girls and women find in sports participation. The Democratic
Party is proud to continue working for equality and access for women and men
in sports, specifically through Title IX.
    
     
     
   

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