Dick Durbin Won't Commit To Support Budget For Afghanistan

One of President Barack Obama's closest allies in the Senate would not commit on Sunday to voting in favor of the proposed surge of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, saying he had outstanding questions about how serious the administration was about its withdrawal timeline.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Fox News Sunday that he was "skeptical as to whether 30,000 more troops will make a difference," noting that there were now "over 200,000" troops in the country, when counting those from NATO, the Afghan army and the United States.

Asked specifically if he would vote in favor of a budget to pay for the additional troops that the president -- his one-time Senate colleague -- has requested, Durbin merely said he would make up his mind after more consultations.

"I will meet with the president...and have conversations about that deadline which appears to be interpreted different ways by different people. But I would like to believe that by July of 2011 that we will be in a position where we are going to see our troops really coming home," said the Illinois Democrat.

"The thing that I find encouraging, you probably find discouraging," Durbin earlier told host Chris Wallace. "And that is the fact that he has said to the leader of Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai; 'There is a limit beyond which we will not leave American troops. We are not going to make Afghanistan a protector of the United States. You have to change your government. You have to show that you are willing to stand up and fight for your own country.' I think that message is long overdue."

Comments

[Manx]

05:17 PM on 12/07/2009

Obama doesn't like the term applied to his commitment in Afghanistan, but it is nation-building plain and simple. Unemployment in the U.S. is at a critical point and our infrastructure is fallin apart, yet we're going to be in Afghanistan for years and years, expending billions of dollars to national build.

[PublicusOrator]

12:15 PM on 12/07/2009

Durbin and Democrats of his ilk are truly laughable. He/They are not sure about funding a Democrat President's escalation in Afghanistan but yet these very same people gave President Bush every cent that he asked for. These people are hysterically hilarious. I guarantee that Durbin will NOT withhold a penny.

[Apov]

08:56 AM on 12/07/2009

CITIZEN POWER TACTIC

Citizens decide not to vote for any congressional representative that votes for funding the Afgan "war".

[Rapier]

11:56 PM on 12/06/2009

Some are saying the premises are faulty and the surge can not succeed

http://ofthisandthat.org/LettertoPresident.html

[RepugsOut08]

11:44 PM on 12/06/2009

End these wars NOW! Osama Bin Ladin has been one of the most successful military leaders in history. He took a few thousand dollars and 19 fanatics willing to commit suicide, trained them on American soil, and brought down way more than those Twin Towers in NY.
He turned America the Brave into America the Afraid of it's Shadow. After killing thousands in NY, he managed to suck us into two needless wars costing tens of thousands more maimed and killed, and over a trillion dollars. Osama wanted to break our economy, and, with our leader's help, he's doing one heck of a job.
We've got to get our nation back on it's feet economically, pass universal health care and rebuild our infrastructure before it's too late. We cannot afford to keep dancing to Osama's tune. 46,000 Americans die every year due to lack of health care, a figure that would make Osama smile. It's time to start fighting terror in our own country. The Corporate kind.

[WaveringLiberal]

11:13 PM on 12/06/2009

My head is spinning with the many and shifting Democrat positions on today's current events. It's a free for all. The fractured polices and lack of clear message provide nothing for voters to line up behind.

[Nonamnesiac]

10:29 PM on 12/06/2009

Americans must objectively look at what we are asking of the Afghans -- to fight and die and get maimed to strengthen a corrupt, greedy drug pusherocracy that just stole an election and only marginally treats women better than the Taliban treats them. The Founding Fathers, given the same option, would have fought to overthrow the drug pusherocracy and worried later about reforming the winning side. So the Europeans do as little militarily as they can.

Only Americans could buy: (1) Afghanistan under the Taliban, geometrically weaker than the US militarily and economically than the U.S., are a threat to our national security; and (2) the new, stupider domino theory that al Qaeda will get Pakistan's nukes when the Taliban drives out the drug pusherocracy we put in place after hundreds of billions of depression­-causing-a­nd-sustain­ing dollars and 9 bloodshed years; Obama is asking Afghans to fight and die and be maimed for the drug pusherocracy most historical progressives and patriots from US history would have fought to throw out. Obama, despite his feigned sophistication, is just like his teenage-wannabe testoseroner military brass believing he's more signifcant when he's killing and maiming young Americans and nationals of a weak country and causing a depression to do so. At least he'll be a one termer. Only Americans can believe Afghans will fight for a corrupt, brutal drug pusherocracy and the occupier that created them.

Immediate, safe withdrawal of all US troops and contractors from Iraq and Afghanistan.

[SpringDoc]

03:54 PM on 12/07/2009

implusively, I say to let the private contractors stay, fund it and fight it, if it's so worth it to stay. Bring the troops home.
Karsai was corrupt when he was appointed by Bush and obviously has lived a great 8 yrs under bush. His cush life style won't change. How can anyone not see this, most-of-all Prez Obama.
The over-paid and over-rated contractors are the benefactors of the current chapter of the Afghan war. If they want the money let private corporate money fund the war. This country is broke and can't afford it.
Besides, we surged w/21,000 troops in the Spring. That should have fulfilled Obama's campaign promise to escalate the Afghan-war. We went from 17k troops to 38k troops and somewhere along this past year sent another 30k troops and now another 30k troops, totaling 98k troops by 2010. It seems like going from 17k troops to 68k troops in 2009 would have fulfilled Obama's campaign promise in more than tripling the troop level.
The pentagon will always want more to strengthen their cause for existence. I truly hope the resistence Congressmen/women will hold strong with not-funding of this surge.

[RightWingBeagle]

09:38 PM on 12/06/2009

The troops have been committed and the_Dick Durbin will leave them on the field without the resources to do their jobs? I'm not surprised. I seem to recall how the_Dick Durbin said our soldiers were like N.ah.Z.EE camp guards. Senator you earned your name.

[AwakeNow]

11:03 PM on 12/06/2009

Rightwing DOG I would suggest that your name also is a perfect title for you. How about we bring our troops home after nine years and then take those saved resources from a protracted war that we no longer can afford and spend that cash on priorities right here in America?

[SpringDoc]

04:06 PM on 12/07/2009

co-signed and faved.
Further, go to Afghan yourself, rightwing beagle and put yourself on the firing-line. Check the website 'Rethinking Afghanistan' and get a first hand account of the fighting men on this issue. Not the pentagon generals.
When I left Vietnam in 68, in-time, I learned to reply to critics of the lost-war, that when I left we were winning and what I did, I felt I was a winner (Senior Aide Man/field medic).
When the first objective was reached in Afghanistan, the war was won. Same with Iraq. There will always be a new objective developed by the Pentagon and generals to keep fighting. That is this countries downfall, but will be realized far too late.
Durbin, Dorgan, Feingold, Pelosi, Kucinich and Grayson... all speak common sense and reality to me as a combat hardened Veteran.

[thwtco]

08:55 PM on 12/06/2009

Where is American Going? Down the drain shoving money we don't down a huge Hole, Wall street Auto Industry, bank bail put, Dumb enough to ask citizens to sacrifice show great respect to wall street and all the time doing taxpayers paying the bill. one hundred thirty six banks failing and I tell you in case you don't Know the citizens of this country, is the FDIC.
Our great American leaders really care about the people they are asking to pay the bill for eons to come its our Fault, we keep sending them back term after term some have been so long they die in office. I will say one thing when they run for re-election in the primary election throw them out vote for someone else the new ones going in should get the message, we ought to demand as a nation a recall do the peoples job or get FIRED. 99% are tied to lobbyist pocket book, now that's a majority. How else do they spend 26 years in office and amass millions of dollars it didn't come from wages. We need to take our country BACK. We are paying dearly for so called protection and still undressing at airports even illegals don't
undress crossing into our country, why do we? After all we are fighting the terrorist in Iraq, Afghanistan making the contractors filthy RICH and black water working for our representatives, We paying bill.

[AwakeNow]

10:53 PM on 12/06/2009

So many good points you've stated. You ask where is America going? What would you say if I suggested it is heading down the road to fascism? We just witnessed the transformation of capitalism into economic fascism ( the state pays for the blunders of private enterprise. Profit is private and individual. Loss is public and social.) Maybe we should be worried of those powers who are practicing economic terrorism. I hope that all the people who are dissatisfied with what is going on will contact their reps. in Washington and turns verbage into action. We all need to be active, paying close attention to what is going on and not just what is being said. This is a critical time!

[Michaela1976]

08:29 PM on 12/06/2009

I live in Illinos. Durbin is looking out for himself as all politicians do. I won't vote for anyone at any level that supports this escalation. I think Durbin has heard from enough of us he sees the writing on the wall.

[Norm]

08:15 AM on 12/07/2009

Good.

[themodernleader]

08:16 PM on 12/06/2009

Durbin encouraged Obama to run for the nations's highest office and supported him all the way. I know Durbin is a free trader as is Obama. But one would think that with all the evidence pointing to the nation-destroying affect of mercantelistic (not free) trade, that both Durbin and Obama would show some sense of compunction and would switch to a policy of national economic renewal.
Illinois, 40 years ago was the third wealthiest state in the Union. Now it is destitute and affectively bankrupt.. Both Durbin and Obama behave as if nothing is amiss in our declining situation. Both advocate more of the same policies that brought this nation to its present peril. Is this behavior resulting from corruption or sheer incompetence? I can't get a handle on the reason(s) for the sell-out of the Democrats. Our nation is facing unparalleled suffering and turmoil because of turning away from the needs of the want-to-be-working people. There is a political price for such negligence and treason.

[SpringDoc]

04:14 PM on 12/07/2009

I would think you would look at the state government for this economic downturn. It's the state government that should be soliciting Illinois as a great investment and evolve the economy as the society and social needs change. To blame it on the Feds is a bit off key. Just saying... from my living in NV for many years and watching the casino industry starting to tumble.

[CalDemo]

07:40 PM on 12/06/2009

This is why Democrats lose elections, they can't seem to ever agree on anything. Do they represent the left, should they shift to the middle; put your left foot in, put your left foot out,la da da da da. Bush abandoned Afghanistan years ago and left it in a mess. Let the Taliban regain power and we're back where we were before 9/11, only the enemy will be more imboldened. I trust the President, his advisors and the generals who have the expertise to make the right call. This isn't a political decision, it's a defense of American security decision. Whatever the polls are saying now, they'll be much more uniform in opposition to the Democratic Party if we pull out and surrender.

[apez1267]

08:00 PM on 12/06/2009

no , untill we get the public option (that will save us money ) why should we spend money on something that is basicly a black hole that we are trying to turn back into a sun , it dosnt work, our best hopes are to asacinate the talaban and their alies and leave instead of trying to prop up a an un-local supported gov. that is corupt

[Statler N Waldorf]

07:39 PM on 12/06/2009

Wow. Durbin was Obama's best friend in the Senate

[Steamboater]

07:20 PM on 12/06/2009

What difference does it make if Durbin doesn't vote to budget the Aghan war. Most democrats will, just as they voted to fund the war in Iraq and continue to do so. None of these politicians have yet to see a war they didn't love to fund.

[Ghostzapper]

07:24 PM on 12/06/2009

right. The Democrats went crazy over the Iraq surge. Now except for Feingold, they are ok with an Obama surge. Reid went nuts over the Iraq surge, now, he is silent.

[Statler N Waldorf]

07:44 PM on 12/06/2009

The war is not popular. Without a draft, it cannot become so unpopular that people will demand it be defunded.

When GWB was Prez, and when the GOP ran the Senate, it was easy to be in favor of defunding. No matter how you voted, it wouldn,t have mattered, because the funding would pass from all the GOP votes for it.

Now, if sufficient numbers of Dems do not vote for funding, it will not pass. If it does not pass, then it's anybody's guess how the electorate will react to that.

Frankenly,. the only real way to end this war is to reinstate the Draft. The minute rich white suburbanites see draft letters for their 18-year old kid in the mailbox, all hell will break loose. That would create enough support for defunding within as little as a few months.

[adamNsteve]

10:33 PM on 12/06/2009

Even if he threatened to filibuster it, it would still pass.....

but hints at a sliver of a spine are to be slightly applauded, no?

[Ghostzapper]

07:12 PM on 12/06/2009

Durbin is in until 2016. He could care less. He wants to bring Gitmo prisoners to Illinois. He is a poster child as to why there should be term limits.

[SpringDoc]

04:19 PM on 12/07/2009

IF the U.S. senate term is 6-yrs, and it is, how can Durbin be in till 2016? Do you know the outcome of the 2010 election already? Just curious