Posted on 02/26/2008 5:07:00 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
WASHINGTON -- Democrats, facing rejection today of a proposal co-sponsored by Wisconsin's Sen. Russ Feingold to cut off money for the Iraq war, are planning to shift their emphasis to the war's toll on the American economy to rebuild anti-war momentum.
In recent months, violence in Iraq has declined, and the Baghdad government has made small steps toward political reconciliation, including plans to hold provincial elections on Oct. 1. While Democratic voters remain largely against the war, the security improvement has helped to cool anxiety among Republicans and stave off legislation demanding that troops start coming home.
The Senate was expected to vote today on a proposal to order troop withdrawals to begin within 120 days.
In an interview with the editorial board of The Capital Times last week, Feingold acknowledged that the prospects of the bill passing were slim.
But he maintained, "It's better to vote and lose," adding that most Democrats understand that "nothing major is going to happen until we get a new president."
Even if the measure were to pass, President Bush would likely veto it, and Democrats lack a veto-proof majority in Congress. As a result, Democrats are talking about shifting their strategy to focus more on the policy issues surrounding Iraq.
Anti-war sentiment among voters has taken a back seat to the economy, and a coalition of anti-war groups said this week that it plans to spend more than $20 million this year to convince voters that the Republican Party's support for the war is bad for their households.
Anti-war activists say they believe Americans are increasingly aware of the economic burden that the Iraq war has caused. This election season, they say, voters will blame Republicans for supporting the war at a time of rising health care and college costs and in the midst of a mortgage foreclosure crisis.
"Leaders who do not recognize this connection will be at a disadvantage come election day," said Jeff Blum, director of USAction, which plans to spend $10 million this year on organizing a grass-roots effort against Republican candidates.
Blum said the group intends to dispatch hundreds of thousands of volunteers to go door to door to convince voters that the GOP's war effort is hurting the economy.
MoveOn.org, another anti-war group, says it will spend at least $5 million targeting congressional seats, including Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Brad Woodhouse, head of Americans United for Change, estimates his group will spend about $8.5 million, focusing primarily on political advertisements.
Jon Soltz, an Army reservist who heads of VoteVets.org, said his group will be running an ad in the Washington, D.C., area that will feature a female Iraq veteran urging Sen. John McCain, the expected GOP nominee for president, to abandon his commitment to Iraq.
"The Iraq war is basically a retreat policy against al-Qaida and (terrorist leader Osama) bin Laden," Soltz said.
Feingold has long held that position, arguing that the Iraq war diverted troops that could have been used to crush al-Qaida in Iraq. But he said that in recent listening sessions across Wisconsin, he has intentionally not mentioned the war, seeing if citizens raised the issue themselves. The result? The war remains the number one topic in those discussions, he said.
"The people do want this, even while the consultants are telling us not to talk about it," Feingold said.
140,000 troops
The Pentagon is projecting that when the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq ends in July there will be about 8,000 more troops on the ground than when it began in January 2007, a senior general said Monday.
Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, operations chief for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that by July the troop total is likely to be 140,000. That compares with 132,000 when President Bush approved orders to send an additional five Army brigades to Iraq to improve security and avert civil war.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the announcement showed that Bush's troop buildup was not a temporary measure. Democrats said when they regained control of the Congress in the November 2006 elections that they would force Bush to end the war but have failed to achieve that.
"As we approach the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, Americans continue to demand a new direction in Iraq and reject a continuation of the president's plan for a 10-year, trillion dollar war in Iraq," Pelosi said.
RATS control the Congress, if they think Iraq’s so bad it’s killing the economy, plus starving kids and minorities, let them openly debate defunding the war, and vote on it! [/s]
What I don’t get is why people would even declare themselves members of this political party that is so invested in making America lose.
Way to go, John McFeingold. Take a bow for your achievement.
“But, the biggest problem of all is Congress.”
Amen to that!
Gearing up for their anticipated takeover of all branches of our government?
It costs Americans relatively fewer dollars to wage war than it has historically.
The war is not a drain on the economy.
Attempts by the Leftist propaganda machine to link the war to economic downturn will likely fail, but for the help and collusion of the mainstream media.
moveon.org would be even more effective without mccain feingold.
That's okay, the Republicans are going to shift their emphasis to how Democrat blocking of drilling in ANWR and offshore plus their ethanol mandates and other environmental are causing the inflationary spiral that's taking out the economy. Any day now they'll be doing that. It's just around the corner that they'll be doing that.
Did you see “interest on the debt”
No one here should be happy with the spending of money we dont have.
We now only spend 4% of GDP on our military, compared to 6% under Reagan, 10% during Vietnam, 14% during Korea, and 40% during WWII.
This argument the Dems are making makes absolutely no sense. But don’t you *dare* call them treasonous or unpatriotic!
D’oh! You beat me to it!
Well, at least we have educated people here.
But it could be offset by stronger conservative organizations.
on the other hand, they will also demand that Pres. Bush tax cuts be sunset.
If ending the war will ease economic strain, why would they need to raise taxes ?
I’m still looking for the Constitutional spending......
Illegal aliens are much more exspensive that protection from Islamic terrorist:
1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens
each year. http://tinyurl.com/zob77
2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs
such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.
http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.
http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school
education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English!
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html
5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the
American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare &
social services by the American taxpayers.
http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html
9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused
by the illegal aliens.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that’s
two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular,
their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01html
11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens
that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal
aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine,
meth, heroine and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern
border. Homeland Security Report: http://tinyurl.com/t9sht
12. The National Policy Institute, ‘estimated that the total cost of
mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average
cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period.’
http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf
13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back
to their countries of origin.
http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm
14. ‘The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex
Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States ‘.
http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml
The total cost is a whopping $ 338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR
Herein lies the key to the current financial mess. Had Former president Clinton signed the bill allowing drilling in Anwar, maybe perhaps we would not be in the energy crisis that we are in today. That in itself is causing most of the economic woes of this country today.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=5BB6FD6482194892
Yep. That’s a crippler, too, hence my comment on the “Monster Government.”
However, even at these current levels, this “war” hasn’t effected our economy one whit. It’s cost us dearly in lives, but not in dollars.
As an ODS Vet, I can’t tell you how often I’ve wished that the UN/Congress hadn’t hamstrung our military, and that we could’ve kicked Saddam Hussein’s @ss the first time around. That way, my kids, my friends’ kids and my neighbor’s kids wouldn’t be there today. However, I’m not one advocating pulling out. Yet. ;)
It’s the only episode I regret in my otherwise wonderful Army career.
During Viet Nam didn’t the left argue that the war was being fought to boost the economy and the Military Industrial Complex?
“However, even at these current levels, this “war” hasn’t effected our economy one whit.”
DOD is the number two item in the budget! Where does that “whit” part come in?
I see SSA as #2. What am I missing? And we spend a boatload on our military even when we’re not at war...much to the dismay of the looney left who cut finding to our military at EVERY opportunity, safe in the knowledge that someone else will always fight their battles for them, and ensure their “freedom” to kick America in the teeth at every opportunity.
And I’ve already apologized for not kicking Hussein’s @ss when I had the chance a decade ago. Give a girl a break! ;)
“I see SSA as #2. What am I missing? “
Some dont consider SSA as the govt’s money
I know I dont. :-)
Actually, that’s a good point. It’s pretty much like Monopoly Money at this point, ain’t it? ;)
“Monopoly Money”
Ouch! Oil up 3% TODAY!
That’s OK. My gold is at $970.70/oz. today. I can afford a tank of gas. :)
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