As Congress Caves On Iraq War Funding, '08 Dems Go Silent

Days after congressional Democrats signaled their intention to reverse course and provide President Bush with tens of billions in new Iraq war spending, none of the leading Democratic presidential candidates have weighed in.

On Monday, the progressive activist group MoveOn launched a new push for candidates to oppose any funding for the war that does not include a timeline for withdrawing troops.

Congressional leaders are set to consider a proposal as early as today that would end the current budget impasse by sending the White House an omnibus spending bill with unrestricted war funds - a move lambasted by war critics as capitulation.

In a release Monday, MoveOn called on the Democratic candidates and congressional leaders to block or filibuster the spending proposal, saying it was time for the candidates to "stand firm."

"Americans elected a Democratic Congress in 2006 to end the war in Iraq. A blank check for billions in war funding moves us in the wrong direction," said Nita Chaudhary, MoveOn's campaign director for Iraq. The Democrats "should hold the line they've drawn: no war funding without a timeline to end the war."

Since reports of the war-funding plan emerged late Thrusday night, none of the Democratic presidential candidates have issued public statements about the matter.

Spokesmembers for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson did not immediately return telephone messages seeking comment.

MoveOn said it would deliver petitions signed by 15,000 veterans and military families to the offices of Senators Clinton, Obama, Dodd and Biden that would urge the legislators to block the spending plan with a filibuster.

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"The Senators who are running for President have talked a lot about their leadership on Iraq - now's the time for them to show it by blocking this bad deal," said Eli Pariser, MoveOn's Executive Director.

Democratic leaders are preparing a new $500 billion plan that would send the president as much as $70 billion in Iraq funding, minus the mandates for troop withdrawal that many Democratic members have advocated.

House and Senate leaders reportedly consider the spending package the only way to solve the budget impasse by the end of the year. As of Monday, only one of the 12 annual spending bills has been signed into law.

Despite the fact that Democrats are widely seen as conceding on the troop withdrawal issue, the White House on Saturday indicated that the president would not sign the omnibus plan as described in the press.

White House budget director Jim Nussle called the proposal a "budget-busting bill" that the president would veto.

Comments

[ProfessorDuh]

Oopsy! What's an empire to do?
----
Iraq will never allow the United States to have permanent military bases on its soil, the government's national security adviser said, calling the issue a "red line" that cannot be crossed.
"We need the United States in our war against terrorism, we need them to guard our border sometimes, we need them for economic support and we need them for diplomatic and political support," Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said.
"But I say one thing, permanent forces or bases in Iraq for any foreign forces is a red line that cannot be accepted by any nationalist Iraqi," he told Dubai-based al Arabiya television.
---
Don't you hate it when puppets mouth off? I suspect Mr. Mowaffaq al-Rubaie is about to meet with one of those "Blackwater accidents."
-----

[TimN]

George W. Bush, the bumbling stumbling head scratching clown has once again handed the Democrats their hat.

Or so it appears...

Under the leadership of Reid and Pelosi I think our Democratic congress is just sorely misunderstood. Their job is a complex one. Fate has handed them the difficult task of providing all Americans good government while pandering to the shrill, maniacal ranting of their constituents at home. This bill was never meant to succeed, rather it was meant to placate and distract.

God bless our Democratic congress. Against this backdrop of humiliation and defeat they are serving our country well.

[Tator]

I am beginning to like the Democrat congress more and more . They don't get anything done. They are at an all time low in the eyes of most Americans. You guys hate them because they can not SURRENDER in IRAQ (Thank you W).

But the current setup is working fine for Americans. Less government is a good thing and with current Dem leaders it is like congress does not exist. Cool.

[researcher]

demos repubs voters all imperialists.

this is a nation of imperialists that works for the industrial military complex.

no politican wants to shut down this industrial military complex.

bottom line must have wars for profits.

the decline is everywhere in america.

[MRb1000]

Bush can make the Dems pay by making life hell for the troops by longer hours. Many civilian would lose their jobs. This would make them look very bad. The only way to solve this problem is to elect more senators. This is where the log jam lays within the body of the senate. The senator block everything every time.

[DeWayne]

This 'Cave In' by the DEM-party to the Iraq war is more evidence upon evidence, that every GOP (and) DEM Office holder in Congress MUST be Voted OUT of Office.

Our 'Rogue-Gov' is no longer answerable to the Citizens of this nation, no matter HOW many years it takes, we MUST Vote Out every DEM/GOP Hierarchy (Pork/PAC/­Perk/Payol­a) until WE again have a Constitutional-Gov of LAW.

[GhostintheMachine]

More than a year after Spc. Alejandro Albarran lost part of his right leg in an explosion in Iraq, he still hasn’t decided whether he’ll stay in the Army.
“Right now, I’m leaning against it,” said the 20-year-old infantryman, looking ahead with distaste to a possible desk job.
Whatever he decides, he won’t be leaving Army life behind — because his wife has enlisted to take his place in uniform.
“After everything he’s gone through — and he loves the Army — he kind of inspired me,” said Janay Albarran. “I made him a promise that I would finish what he started.”
While he underwent five-day-a-week rehabilitation to recover his balance and strength on a prosthetic leg at an Army rehabilitation facility in San Antonio, she was in boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C., learning to shoot a rifle and stand in formation.

[NoFactsJustTruth]

I say vote out ANY incumbent, Max, that gives this preznutz further funding for Iraq, period.

They REFUSE to represent The People.

[toosinbeymen]

The dems are the most disappointing bunch of ........ I've been a dem activist for years but this crop of losers... Schumer, Pelosi, Hoyer, Feinstein....

[LizM]

How is this for a fact...

You are not going to end the civil war in Iraq by the simple act of cutting off funding. The two are completely unrelated.

You will stop the civil war in Iraq by promoting and facilitating a sustainable political settlement and providing a mechanism through which the warring Iraqi factions come together to engage in difficult negotiations to find a political accommodation that they can all live with.

Senator Biden has developed a comprehensive and viable Iraq exit strategy to do just that. And his strategy not only has the support of a majority of Repubicans and Democrats in the US Senate but also enjoys the endorsement of world leaders and, more importantly, of sectarian leaders in Iraq.

If the same kind of effort that is currently being wasted on the "cut the war funding" campaign could be directed toward the support of Senator Biden's Iraq exit strategy, then the civil war in Iraq might just be brought to an end a lot sooner and US forces could begin a withdrawal without leaving a failed state behind and the need for future generations of US soldiers to return at a later date.

[SteveinSC]

I just joined the funding strike. Money only through ActBlue.

But we must have more of a hammer. Candidates who will challenge pelosi and hoyer will get my money as well as progressive Democrats.

[MetalCanuck]

This is soooooo funny. People are Blaming Pelosi...its not just her folks. Its ALL of them, except for a FEW. You guys seem not to get that there is NO OPPOSITION other than a FEW. Ron Paul and Kucinich being the only OPPOSITION running should get A LOT of votes if you want to get rid of the CORRUPTION. If either of them do not win and people continue letting the tv tell them who to vote for then DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING BETTER TO HAPPEN>>EVER!

[realitytrumpsbull]

The whole budget issue is such a charade...
Bush and company will strong-arm all the
spending they want, and Congress will sign it.
That is, if they keep playing the game
Pelosi-style. If they all up and walked out,
then no spending bills could be passed at all,
and that'd put the whole spectacle in a brand-
new light. Imagine if they just took a piece
of construction paper, made a big blank
check that kind of looked like something
they'd use on one of those Publisher's Clearing
House TV ads, and left it on the table and
went home. It'd be like, 'ok, whatever, you're
usurping our budgeting authority, so here ya
go, buddy'. Sometimes, the best way to get
rid of somebody who's trying to manipulate you
is just to give em 10 times what they asked for
and put em out the door. Do overkill ONCE, and
they never come back.
Put THAT on CNN!

LOL

[MetalCanuck]

This is soooooo funny. People are Blaming Pelosi...its not just her folks. Its ALL of them, except for a FEW. You guys seem not to get that there is NO OPPOSITION other than a FEW. Ron Paul and Kucinich being the only OPPOSITION running should get A LOT of votes if you want to get rid of the CORRUPTION. If either of them do not win and people continue letting the tv tell them who to vote for then DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING BETTER TO HAPPEN>>EVER!

[chasemonster]

And the imbecile Harry Reid never met a microphone he didn't want to perform fellatio on!