Wyden in Newberg: No Rationale for Escalation

Not that it's too much of a surprise, but it's good to get him on record so plainly--and I feel a little guilty about failing to mention his town halls in the southwestern Willamette Valley this past week, so courtesy of Ridenbaugh Press, here's his short-but-sweet statement on escalation in Iraq:

Asked about the recent Bush Administration talk of a “surge” in troop levels around Bagdad, Wyden replied that “I cannot conceive of any rationale that would justify an escalation.” And he showed no qualms about calling it an “escalation.” (Wyden is in the minority of senators who needn’t exert himself too much with calibrations on Iraq; he was in the opposition from the beginning.)

...

The crowd was divided, but Wyden seemed to hold the majority of it. That also seemed true on the second-most mentioned subject, immigration; and here too, there were fewer final, definitive positions than there were concerned and general principles.

That last bit is a little interesting; Wyden "holding the majority" on a subject like immigration, in which we've been led to believe that Oregon conservatives are hopping mad, is somewhat surprising. But I just wanted to get that out there, in the context of stories this weekend where various Members of Congress have tried to cut George Bush off at the knees before he's able to present his next idiotic plan. Wyden's right with 'em; we'll have to see if he goes as far as supporting a cap on funding in an attempt to prevent escalation, as Rep. Murtha has suggested.