Posted on 05/10/2007 10:06:36 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
THE US House of Representatives today voted to fund the Iraq war in instalments of just a few months, defying President George W. Bush's vow to veto a Bill he branded "haphazard" and "piecemeal".
The move, approved by 221 votes to 205, would release $US43 billion ($52bn) in emergency war funding but force Mr Bush to show progress in Iraq in July, before politicians vote on freeing up a second $US53bn chunk of funds.
"This legislation ends the blank cheque for the President's war without end,'' Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi said moments before the vote, the latest round of a bitter and escalating constitutional feud for control of the war.
Mr Bush had earlier fought back hard against Democrats, amid signs of softening Republican support for his strategy to surge nearly 30,000 more troops into violence-torn Iraq.
"I'll veto the Bill if it is this haphazard, piecemeal funding, and I made that clear,'' Mr Bush said after meeting officials at the Defence Department.
Mr Bush used his veto power for only the second time last week to strike down a Bill tying war funding to a timetable to begin withdrawing the 146,000 troops from October from a war which has killed 3379 of their comrades.
Chances of another veto seemed slim, however, as it was unclear whether a similar Bill would pass the Senate, and composite legislation must be agreed by both chambers before it is sent to the President.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
How about we fire congress and replace the critters with Generals? I suspect that there will be no problems with progress by placing Generals back in charge of our military. Bureaucrats are not Generals and have no business running the military. They are supposed to be working on /social security and illegal immigration etc.
support for a war is not based on popularity. It should be based on what it takes to win.
Word!
I think that the figure includes KIA from Afghanistan.
I think maybe he's already done that, didn't he?
The question is whether or not David Petraeus can get the job done before the Democrats scuttle the Ship of State.
I actually don’t even think it’s constitutional for congress to set timelines. The framers definately didn’t intend for congress to have the power to micromanage a military conflict.
“The direction of war implies the direction of the common strength and the power of directing and employing the common strength forms a usual and essential part in the definition of the executive authority. -Federalist 74
There was a good way to put it on Slate recently too:
“In the modern era, no countrynot even a parliamentary democracyhas been so foolhardy as to place a war under the guidance of a legislative body, rather than a single, unified command.
There only options are cutting off funding completely or impeachment. The American people consistently poll as overwhelming opposing both.
Do you just dream up quotes like that out of thin air? Does the name Patreus mean anything to you?
Pelosi is only trying to suck up to her extreme liberal base, she and Steny Hoyer know the Senate won’t even take up this bill or anything similar to it. Soon there will be a bill that will be approved by the House and Senate that will provide funding through September with no timetables, but it will contain reasonable benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet.
I can only hope that all those dimwits who did not voted last time, are proud of their choice. A traiterous congress, with the lust for power outweighs the right thing to do.
Thanks for the excellent insight.
You are 100% on the money. The Demotraitors will tank, but they must be revealed to be the same as John Kerry: Traitors in sheeps clothing, claiming patriotism.
I wish some one would take the lead and start calling them what they are, and they would tank even further and faster.
Dubya should pull a “Schumer”, and get in front of a TV camera at every opportunity to explain to the dumbass electorate what these RATS are up to and the full implications of the consequences if they continue to pussyfoot around. We are surrounded by idiots in the public and thieves and cowards in the congress — nothing new, but very tiresome.
The Democrats are going crazy because they can’t dole out this money to their special interest backers and various other consumers of government.
Not correct.....there have been 198 KIA's in Afghanistan.
They [the MSM and MOST everyone else including conservative talk shows] use the number listed that includes the death of our troops from NATURAL CAUSES, ACCIDENTS and suicides.
OUR SERVICE MEN & WOMEN ARE UNDER FIRE AND WE'RE PISSING AROUND WITH FUNDING! HOLY CRAP!!
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