Excerpts of Sen. Levin's speech on Afghanistan

Excerpts from Sen. Carl Levin's speech on the war in Afghanistan, as prepared for delivery and released Friday by the Michigan Democrat's office:

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Vote postponed on bid to remove F-22 jet funding

A bid to cut $1.75 billion recently added to the defense spending bill for more Lockheed Martin fighter jets has stalled in the Senate despite repeated veto threats by the White House.

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Iraqi Leader Lashes Out at U.S. Critics

Iraq's embattled prime minister lashed out at American critics Sunday, saying Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democrats who have called for his ouster should "come to their senses" and stop treating Iraq like "one of their villages."

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General Who Led Iraq War Faces Scrutiny

Gen. George Casey, who led the Iraq war for more than two tumultuous years, is coming under intense scrutiny for a new Pentagon job as two influential senators try to gain GOP support for a compromise resolution against President Bush's troop buildup.

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Higher-income Americans should be taxed to pay for more troops sent to Afghanistan and NATO should provide half of the new soldiers, said Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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"Democratic Sen. Carl Levin said after a briefing from Pentagon and Army officials that his committee will investigate how those and other e-mails involving Hasan were handled and why they were not brought to the attention of the US military prior to the Nov. 5 shooting.

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The choice to succeed or fail in Afghanistan is Obama's.

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House members are back home to begin their month-long recess. The far right has indicated that they plan to welcome many of their representatives with large, angry throngs, demonstrating about healthcare.

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Sen.

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There's some important news about Dick Cheney and torture in a speech that Senator Carl Levin gave before the Foreign Policy Administration this week.

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A top Democratic senator wants independent investigators to determine whether any Bush administration officials should be prosecuted for authorizing harsh interrogation techniques of suspected terrorists.

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Sen.

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At the Progressive Media Summit on Capitol Hill yesterday, Marcy Wheeler asked Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, about congressional plans to continue investigating torture.

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The latest in a series of controversial deals with Islamic militants in the Swat Valley has provoked questions about the new government's counterterrorism efforts.

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In his opening statement to today's Senate Hearing, General Petraeus used a series of interesting charts to illustrate his view of the current status of Iraq in terms of violence and stability.

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Under questioning by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Petraeus said he could not predict when troop reductions would be resumed or how many U.S. troops were likely to remain in Iraq by the end of this year. There currently are 160,000 U.S.

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Today's hearing will feature two panels. First, three aggrieved consumers will share their horror stories.

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When President Bush used an October 17 White House press conference to threaten that the escalating US confrontation with Iran posed a danger of "World War III" his remark was passed over in silence by most of the media. ***

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Now that President Bush has said he'll start to withdraw the extra forces he sent to Iraq by next summer, Senate Democrats likely will roll out legislation this week that would require deeper troop cuts much sooner.

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Senate Democratic leaders on Wednesday called the administration's plan to keep 130,000 or more troops in Iraq through mid-2008 unacceptable and promised to challenge the approach through legislation next week.

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Key Democrats in Congress, frustrated by repeated failures to get troops home from Iraq, are backing away from fixed withdrawal timelines, hoping to win Republican backing for anti-war measures.

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In a strategic shift designed to win over Republican critics of the Iraq war, congressional Democrats are backing off demands for a firm withdrawal date for U.S. troops and instead are seeking a new bipartisan deal to end the military campaign.

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Iraq's prime minister has hit back at senior US politicians who have called for him to be removed from office. Nouri Maliki singled out senators Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin.

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CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- A powerhouse Republican lobbying firm with close ties to the White House has begun a public campaign to undermine the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, CNN has confirmed.

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As their Sept.

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Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Armed Services Committee Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.), and senior Armed Services Committee Member John Warner (R-Va.) today hailed pass …

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By Bill Scher on July 17, 2007 - 1:05pm. I'll say this for Sen. John McCain. He thinks ahead. During today's Senate floor debate, Sen. Carl Levin urged McCain and his fellow conservatives to refrain from filibustering his Iraq proposal, and allow for an "up-or-down" vote.

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Forcing his Republican colleagues to put up or shut up on the notion of an up-or-down vote, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) just moments ago announced that he will immediately file a cloture motion on the Reed-Levin troop redeployment bill and, if Republicans follow thro …

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From the excellent Chris Floyd over at Empire Burlesque:

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