Who said this?
“You cannot sit here intellectually and say I am against bringing American troops home. I want American troops to stay there to be involved, and at the same time, the Americans getting into flights tonight. They’re getting into F-15′s, F-16′s, A-6′s. They’re putting their life on the line, and these Jamocas are saying, we’re not with you… — the ultimate act of hypocrisy. “
Well in April 1999, Mark Shields was complaining on the Newshour that the Congress, some Democrats included, did not vote to authorize President’s Clinton’s ongoing bombing of Serbia (At least Bush, unlike Clinton, got approval first, and bombed second). Apparently, he objected in principle to a Congress undermining the authority of the President to conduct war, on the grounds that it hurt troops already deployed in the line of fire…
And cf. this final note of sobriety about a Congress covering itself anyway it could:
SHIELDS: Not one of the great moments in House history, Jim. The House on Wednesday voted not to send in ground troops, voted not to declare war, voted not to bring troops home, and at the same time voted against an air war. Now, you figure it out. You got to vote any way you want. You can cover yourself. I thought that –it was hypocrisy on this vote, especially the last one on preserving the United States and NATO air cover and air attacks that are going on in support, as the Senate did, was particularly outrageous …