Despite Rhetoric, Dems Poised To Give Bush A Blank Check For Iraq

From Roll Call:

Despite their rhetoric about not wanting to hand President Bush another "blank check" for the Iraq War, Democrats appear poised to give him exactly that -- enough cash to keep the war going full steam for as long as six months, no strings attached.

Democratic leaders continue to fear GOP attacks that cutting off or slowing funds would hurt the troops, despite anger among the Democratic base over the party's failure to use Congress' power of the purse to end the war.

And while House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have said they have no intention of bringing up Bush's almost $200 billion supplemental war funding proposal this year without a timeline for withdrawal, Democrats are quietly preparing to give the president enough spending flexibility to keep the war going anyway.

After Republicans repeatedly rebuffed Democratic attempts to adopt war restrictions in September following Army Gen. David Petraeus' testimony to Congress, Democrats began approving billions in extra funding, starting with the first stopgap spending resolution. Next up will be the regular Defense spending bill, expected to go to conference committee Tuesday. Although the bill is not expected to include funding specifically targeted to Iraq, Democrats plan to allow much of the funding to be diverted from regular Defense accounts to the war. Democratic Defense appropriators also are separately eyeing adding tens of billions in war funds, either in a small separate supplemental or attached to the next must-pass stopgap continuing resolution. They had sought to include $50 billion or more in such supplemental funding in the Defense bill itself, but leadership overrode that idea after the party's most ardent war foes complained.

Read the full article.

Comments

[MidSection]

hey what are all you libs going to do when we finally attack Iran? Will you THEN move to Canada? or will you spontaneously combust? And who will you be rooting for? The US or the Mullahs who want u to live in the 6th century? Take your time and think of thoughtful responses and try not to contradict everything that you (say) you stand for.

[eugenegerard]

Makes you sick to your stomach to think how SPINELESS the whole bunch of them are.

[Moshe]

At this point the only difference between the DEMs and the GOP seems to be that at least the GOP is more honest about their absolute contempt for the views of the American People.

I wanted to puke when I heard that Feinstein and Shumer had refused to stand against torture or support the rule of law by promising to give Mukasey a cake walk to the office of the U.S. Attorney General, although he refused to disclaim torture or pledge to enforce current U.S. and International law.

The GOP neo-cons have now got us mired in an unwinnable war that has killed 3,849 young Americans and maimed 28,385, incurred massive national debt (George W. is now the biggest spending president in U.S. history even out doing L.B.J.), sent the dollar into free fall, presided over open borders, refused to exercise any adequate oversight imports from children's toys to food and drugs, willfully abandoned their core duty to protect the life, liberty, and property of the American People, they seem to be more interested in promoting Chinese trade than U.S. trade (I guess the Chinese pay better under the table), and all of this continues to be facilitated by a group of lying, spineless DEMs.

A pox on all of their houses and provided they are not able to collude to pull off a Musharaff-style nulifaction of the next vote and officially declare our Constitution and the Rule of Law nule and void (they have already largely done this in act if not yet in word), every one of these rat bastards must be challenged in the primaries, booted from office, investigated (to find out why they keep selling out their own people) and charged and convicted when warranted.

I sound a little angry.

I can't imagine why, it's just our lives, our nation, and our children's future at stake here.

[rh654]

So, exactly why did I vote for a Democrat for the first time in many elections?

In the past if I did not support the Republican, I just did not vote for that office - but last election I voted for a Democrat, but now I don't understand why I wasted my time.

These people are as gutless as they come.

[MidSection]

When are you all going to move to Canada?

[Grannysue]

We have a choice, back a bunch of spinless whimps who are afraid of being called "chicken" and taking money from the troops and leaving them in harms way by the neocons, or the WAR mongering, religious zealout wackos! Kind of makes you want to jump off the planet doesn't it?

[rhdsma]

Why can't we just stop the madness?

[hugs4u]

The democrats either replace Pelosi and Reid as their leaders or all the bastards need to be voted out of office and the democrats can start over from scratch to rebuild the party with some politicians with some backbones.
You expect to be screwed by the repukeicans in office.

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

You're a passenger in a car being driven 100 mph. The driver is drunk and will not respond to anything said by you. He has already sideswiped cars at four different locations and hit and killed several pedestrians. He's said he will stop only when he reaches his home, 90 miles away.

When do you finally, at some consideral risk, attempt to take control from him?

[loki]

Told you so, Told you so, Told ya Told ya Told ya so!!

The lying Democrats we were conned into voting into power are traitors to their supporters, and non deserve any support no matter what. No more money, no more help, no more support unless they can show by doing the right thing, and following up on what they promised.

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

The Incumbent Party will always look after its own. You may prefer the Dem or GOP wing of this party; but be assured that the Establishment will have its way.

[CounterSicilian]

Check this out folks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-cQqZ2g-sU

[jdfast]

Spineless bastards all. Not a good one in the lot. 70% of the people want us out of this godforsaken war and they still don't get it. Vote against every incombent in November of 08. Perhaps they will get it then.

[Marrob]

Am sure in 2006 we thought we were voting for change but c'mon, Joe Liberman got re-elected.

[Marrob]

Pelosi/Reed/Emanual = Bad leadership for the Democratic Party.