House Progressives Introduce Bill To Bar Funding Of Afghan Troop Surge

The Hill:

Nearly two dozen House liberals have signed onto a bill introduced this past week that would prohibit an increase of troops in Afghanistan.

A bill introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Thursday would bar funding to increase the troop level in Afghanistan beyond its current level.

Read the whole story: The Hill

Comments

[Apov]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[HLL]

Thank you, Congresswoman Lee.

It seems that some of us have learned from the tragic fiascos of Vietnam and Iraq and are willing to do something about it.

Besides the needless deaths of brave American soldiers, there's the matter of the trillions of dollars being spent on Iraq that we could sure use here in the United States to rebuild our crumbling country: schools, teachers, hospitals, environment, jobs, Katrina victims STILL, etc.

[pollyannish]

Idiots ! Knee jerk reactions without information. Let the President and his administration get the strategy together

[slowhand0728]

Am Curious, if comes the 2012 election and we still have 100K troopers in Afghanistan, for how many is that a deal breaker as far as relection is concerned?

[erpark]

I voted for Obama and for me I hit my deal breaker a while ago. As a Green I should have known better but hope got in my way. It will not happen again.

[HLL]

I'm with you, erpark.

[Thundercloud65]

A bill to block more troop funding is hardly representing the "interests of the American public" as I have seen written here....This is plain politics and a shot accross the bow of the republican's dragging their feet on issues such as health care...all at the expense of the men and women in uniform over there. Dieing to protect your "right" to deny them support to win the day. If there was never a greater argument for full funding of other political parties past the donkey and elephant I don't know if there ever will be. Our men and women in uniform should not be held hostage to the politics of neither corporate nor entitlement whores. Where is the sanity?

[NCAV2]

Actually a majority of Americans OPPOSE the Afghan War, so they are representing the interests of the American public.

[erpark]

It should be obvious to anyone that we are not going to "win the day" in Afghanistan. The best and only way to truely support our troops is to bring them home so no more of them are killed or mangled in a useless war. If not allowing funding for additional troops gets the ones already there home sooner then I am all for blocking additional monies.

[tnkeating]

Isn't that special, I'd like to introduce a bill to bar funding to pay Congress............Pro is the opposite of Con, and to Progress is the opposite of Congress

[dlarocca]

holy crap an elected official actually doing what the people want... I'm amazed... the people don't support this war so the elected officials shouldn't either... nice job here

[Durango]

And your evidence for your assertion is?

[TheBaffler]

Obamabots like yourself don't take truck with evidence and facts, so don't ask for it when you don't really want it.

[windup]

Can we please elect more of these people to represent our interests? They are the only ones who do.

[doubtingdavid]

As long as they are not from my district, you can have as many as you would like in yours.

[teron678]

Sad to say this will never reach the floor ... & if it does ... it will fail ... many democrats in the house will side with the Repubs & vote .... "NAY"

[Disdain]

No... Many democrats will side with the president since that is the war that he wanted.

[HillaryPres2012]

I agree. This continuation of the war should take no one by surprise. Candidate Obama said that we should increase the war in Afghanistan.

[MekhongKurt]

Well, that's a mighty dark take. Any chance they might vote for their President??? It may just happen that the President's decision will actually muzzle the Republicans, though of course no one would admitted any pleasure at that. Imagine: our elected officials working together for the country, not the next mullah contribution.

[Awake-and-Sing]

God bless the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Is there a way to give money to support the progressive caucus rather than support the Democratic Party as whole who will channel that money to corporate funded blue dogs?

The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the REAL reason we still have a public health insurance option in play.

Keep staying strong and keep standing up!!!

[singlepayercentral]

I heart my district representative BARBARA LEE. "Barbara Lee STILL speaking for me" - we should update our bumper stickers, fellow Oakland'rs.

[doubtingdavid]

Maybe she can try to direct some of those monies saved by not supporting our troops and channel it to the bankrupt California. LOL!

[Disdain]

Everyone of these so called house progressive have been to Afghanistan and extensively studied the situation there to make such an intelligent decision on the safety of our men and women fighting there I take it.

[Gover]

War is about the least safe activity you can participate in.

I'm not sure you need to take a trip to Afghanistan to come to the correct conclusion that war decreases the safety of men and women fighting in it.

[Disdain]

If that is the case then get them out of there. From the safety and comfort of Washington, these so called progressive are gambling with the lives of these brave men and women that they sent there in the first place. This weekend alone we lost 8 servicemen while our elected official choose to ignore their plight. It's criminal.

[NCAV2]

Good to hear.

[mcantwell]

You don't need a crystal ball to predict what the vote count on this Bill will be:

Most Democrats = Yay
Rethuglican Warmongers = Nay

[Deparis]

Do you mean like a mccrystal ball? I do not know those actually exist!

[mcantwell]

lol....McChrystal Ball.

[bigsioux]

I doubt this will even get to the floor for a full vote. If it does, a majority of House dems will vote against it. At least for now.

[lonbwoy]

You obviously dont know the DEMS in the senate and house, they have NO Backbone, during all the Bush yrs they had the opportunity to NOT VOTE ON FUNDING THE WARS, But they did, it wont change now.

[mcantwell]

I won't argue with you about the lack of backbone as far as the Moderates and the Blue Dogs are concerned. However, the Progressives appear to have plenty of spine.

[HillaryPres2012]

Actually, the warmongers are the followers President Obama. It is his war. He could end it today if he wanted to. No, Republicans aren't to blame this time. The may have started to war, but President Obama chooses to continue it.

[Klimb]

So what is your argument about Iraq...still on-going, too...whose war is it?

[TheBaffler]

All true, but your coontish of a hero Hillary wholeheartedly supports both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, too.

[AlwaysFair]

And you were where for the past 8 years?

[PATina]

There are 41 voting members of the CBC. They have two non-voting members from DC and the VI. Even if all of them stood their ground and voted against Bush... there were still enough spineless Dems to make sure Bush got everything he wanted.