White House Wins On War, IMF Funds

As the clock began to count down the minutes that members of the House had to cast their vote on a war-funding bill topping $100 billion, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) waded into enemy territory.

The anti-war Democrat, who'd been whipping hard against the measure, stood behind a klatch of Republicans, watching the GOP computer and taking notes. It's not often that Kucinich and House Republicans find themselves on the same side. But the GOPers were determined to oppose what they call a bailout for foreign banks, and antiwar Democrats hoped to ally with them to block funding for wars they've long opposed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), meanwhile, hovered by the front desk, beaming. As the 15-minute vote wound down to zero, she was still far from the 218 she needed for passage, but she showed no sign of concern. The vote was held open as enough Democrats stepped forward to vote for the war money.

Fifty-one Democrats opposed the war funds the last time it came before the House. There was little pressure on them one way or the other. But when the Senate added the line of credit for the IMF and Republicans announced opposition, votes that had previously been worthless took on heightened value. The White House and Democratic leadership went into high gear, threatening and offering deals in exchange for a yes vote. This time around, 32 Democrats stayed as no votes.

Democrats who switched tapped Pelosi on the shoulder before walking back to their seats, swapping smiles, as Pelosi studied the lit-up board on the wall that displays the votes.

The tally hit 218, but Democrats seemed not to notice. When Pelosi looked up and saw it reading 220, she left the well of the floor and found Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wisc.), the Appropriations Committee Chairman, in his seat. The two shared a congratulatory handshake.

The vote was gaveled to a close, with five Republicans joining 221 Democrats. Pelosi turned her gaze back to the board, studying her members' votes.

She was no doubt pleased to see that these names sported a green box next to them this time, reversals from their previous no votes...

Clarke
Cohen
Cooper
Costello
Frank
Gutierrez
Inslee
Kagen
Markey (Mass.)
Matsui
McDermott
George Miller
Napolitano
Neal (Mass.)
Oberstar
Schakowsky
Thompson (Calif.)
Towns
Velazquez
Weiner

And those who stuck with their no votes...

Baldwin
Capuano
Conyers
Doggett
Edwards (Md.)
Ellison
Farr
Filner
Grayson
Grijalva
Honda
Kaptur
Kucinich
Lee (Calif.)
Lofgren
Massa
McGovern
Michaud
Payne
Pingree
Polis
Serrano
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Speier
Stark
Tierney
Tsongas
Waters
Watson
Welch
Woolsey

My book, This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America, is now out

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Comments

[aristippe]

end the occupation

[KLordsha]

Another win for Prez O!!

[CaptainVideo]

OBAMA IS THE MAN! Right On!

[fairyduster]

Another win for the military industrial complex and trickle down economics.

[JRsNana]

Oh stuff it.

[teron678]

Although i support Obama in is WAR & IMF funding bill .... I admire the Democrats for their dissent & not voting lock-step ... like the other party does ..... That's one of the many reasons I support the party .......

[CaptainVideo]

The reason that the Republicans often achieve their objectives is that they stick together.

The reason that the Democrats all too often fail to achieve their objectives is that they do not.

[teron678]

Voting Lockstep & group-thinking ... is something i do not support .......

[ChuckyD]

Remember that we live in a "representative democracy."

[donnajr]

must we say ,pop goes the welsh. fink about it.

[karela]

Good Job Madamn Speaker!

[CaptainVideo]

She deserves a lot of credit for giving Obama a win over the Party of No.

Why won't Republicans support our fighting men?

[aristippe]

war funding: everybody lose

[LeAnn Cammack]

The troops win. I support funding the wars because I support funding our troops who are doing their duty to their country - I do not support the war in Iraq but now the President is stuck with it, and with trying to get out as soon as possible.

If Bush/Cheney hadn't invaded Iraq, we would have finished the job in Afghanistan and ALL our troops would be home.

Remember President Obama said, "I did not oppose all wars, I said. I was a strong supporter of the war in Afghanistan. But I said I could not support "a dumb war, a rash war" in Iraq. I worried about a ' U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences" in the heart of the Muslim world. I pleaded that we "finish the fight with bin Ladin and al Qaeda.' "

Those who thought he was completely anti-war did not listen.

[aristippe]

"we would have finished the job"
"the President is stuck with it"

ridiculous crank talking points that mean nothing

[MichaelJ2006]

I thought he'd turn out pretty much like he has, but he still beats McCain/Palin.

And that's about the only good thing I can say about Mr O these days.

[Tzimisce]

This war is like quicksand.

Bush knowingly stepped into it.

And now trying to struggle our way out will only cause us to sink faster.

The best we can do is wait for someone [i.e. the international community and the Pakistanis] to throw us a rope to pull us out.

[scooperss]

Must be on the wrong site. I thought everyone here was for stopping the war by cutting off funding. At least that's what I read for the last few years.

[CaptainVideo]

I was one of the many people who was sure that we could not turn things around militarily in Iraq. Under those conditions getting us out by cutting off the funding made sense. But Petraeus did not betray us, he turned things around militarily. I WAS WRONG! Under the changed circumstances, cutting and running no longer makes sense. A phased withdrawal is called for.

[southwindow]

he succeeded- why are we still there?

[Drjimmy72296]

Now that Obama's for the war, it's all good.

[CaptainVideo]

Obama made it clear during the election that Afghanistan was one war he intended to fight.

In Iraq he is choosing phased withdrawal over cut and run. Makes sense.

[banja]

Pres Obama has to teach the Dems how to Govern, someone has to remind them that they are in power and own the war and the economy. 2 years from now everything will be pinned on him not Bush. The progressive caucus needs to swallow hard on some of these bills

[CaptainVideo]

The Republicans' main strenght is that they stick together to promote their agenda. The Democrats' main weakness is that they don't.

[CaptainVideo]

Obama is the man. He beat the Party of No once again in spite of the traiterous Democrats who tried to help the Party of No hand Obama a major defeat.

[perk]

Wait, didn't the Rethugs want to boost war spending and the Democratics reduce it just a couple of years ago? What happened?

[southwindow]

you mean traitorous? you are sorely mistaken-democrats who vote their conscience by not supporting an illegal war can not be considered anything of the kind.

[imusintheevening]

Obama just bought responsibility for the war.

[Gretel1or2]

This is not money to start a war - this is money to fund our troops who are already at war, and yes it is the president's responsibility for ensuring that the troops fighting are well equiped and supported.

[BeasleysMom]

Thanks. All the naysayers here act like if we decide to end the war that doesn't mean we will just pack up and go home tomorrow. That would not only be impossible but impossibly irresponsible.

[DestinationsUnknown]

He bought responsibilty on Jan 21, 2009

How ignorant.

The USA does not even rank within the top 25 countries in the world for education!

[patrickgarret]

People. What was he gonna do? Say YAH don't fund it. We need the funding to WIND IT DOWN. We will hold him accountable to the coming announced END DATE.

[billsmile]

I take my hat off to the 32 who represent the American people. Thank you and keep up the good work. You are the REAL political heroes.

[CaptainVideo]

If Obama had lost this vote, this would have been a major defeat that would have seriously weakened him politically. That would have made it much more difficult to move the major items in his agenda, such as universal health insurance, ending the recession, and achieving peace in the middle east. The Democrats who tried to help the Party of No hand Obama a major defeat are dwarfs unable or unwilling to see the big picture.

[aristippe]

drink the cool aid

[Drjimmy72296]

How does continuing to fund an illegal occupation in the heart of Mesopotamia lead to peace in the middle east?

How does "accidentally" bombing an Afghan wedding every other week lead to peace in the middle east?

Every day we occupy Iraq and Afghanistan we create new terrorists.

[BeasleysMom]

Thanks for saying it so well.

[donnajr]

thus what is the big picture' Captain Video " ?

[JDM73]

Change you can believe in! Seriously! Well, not in terms of war or health care or bailing out Wall Street or gay rights or anything else that matters...but still, "change"! it's happening because Obama and all his cheerleaders say so!

[DestinationsUnknown]

oh- did you want it better jan 21? jan 22?

mar 21?

apr 21?

may 21?

pick you first three months?

when did you want it better?

[Actionmac]

Clearly and simply put... and I agree when?

[JDM73]

So you're saying that, by ratcheting up the war effort and killing single-payer and supporting the use of military tribunals, Obama is somehow (in some opaque, ingenious way that we common folk could never understand) repairing the damage done by the Bush administration, rather than contributing to it?
I'm so tired of these lame excuses and the people who make them.

[Drjimmy72296]

If Obama had done NOTHING between Jan. 20 and now, the country would be better off. He's not fixing the damage. He's making it worse.

Invoking state secrets not to keep evidence from seeing the light of day but to dismiss entire lawsuits? Preventive detention? Asserting the necessity and constitutionality of DOMA? Trying to gut the FOIA?

That is NOT change. That is worse than what we had.

[DestinationsUnknown]

8 years - no child left behind-

You know what we got for that?

The USA does not even rank within the top 25 countries in the world for education!

Thanks!

[wijg]

Shhh... you're not supposed to notice.

[Coinyer101]

Barney Frank has failed me.....,

[lmthp]

Yeah, that's a real head scratcher ...and disappointment!

Kudos and my thanks to the Dems who voted their conviction and for Real change by voting against this supplemental and bailout of the IMF.

[jsgaetano]

Yeah, it's so horrible that we are withdrawing troops from Iraq.

1000 years, like McCain said!

[FightTheLies]

My question is. "Why do the Republicans hate our troops?"

[CaptainVideo]

The Republicans are putting partisan politics above the welfare of our fighting men. They are so unpatriotic.