Nancy Pelosi: Barack Obama Must 'Make His Case' For Afghanistan Funds

McClatchy:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that it's up to President Barack Obama to persuade reluctant Democrats to fund his Afghanistan troop buildup -- his most important foreign policy initiative -- because she has no plans to do so herself.

Pelosi's reluctance to lobby for an Afghan surge appropriation reflects the deep divisions within the Democratic Party over Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[lightbulb10]

02:24 PM on 12/31/2009

AND fighting words can still be loving words.

I don't need to be put in the position of feeling like I'm hurting feelings. Come on!! Shape it!

[lightbulb10]

01:11 PM on 12/31/2009

Forget about others' colorful language.

She needs to not act crazy. She needs to not play into crap. She needs to wash up some more.
Keep washing it. Innovative measures are NOT innovative measures if the public is UNAWARES, and the goons that were representing the "team" on The Daily Show's snippet not long ago... yea, not good stuff.

I do not resent her as a career politician, although I do strongly advocate term limits due to the immense corruption and defect styling that has taken full run in the current system.

However, she is pretty bad.

[leevntheus]

12:16 PM on 12/17/2009

This is where true progressive leaders in Congress should be swinging their big stick.

Progressive leaders are voted in by their constituents that wanted health care reform that means something and most likely were hoping for de escalation of war. Ergo the progressive legislator has no fear of polls if he/she stands up to the president.

Quid pro quo: No Public Option - No War Funding.

[lightbulb10]

01:13 PM on 12/31/2009

She has NO stick.

[lightbulb10]

01:15 PM on 12/31/2009

She needs to not worry about defecting against progressives that are upset in order to demonstrate her patriarchal "loyalty" - she needs to remember what people endorsed in this campaign and that they need not add more damage to their cause.

[leevntheus]

12:13 PM on 12/17/2009

This part of American politics is where I find the most intriguing stuff.

Obamarahma ignores progressives on health care, so progressives ignore Obamarahma on war funding.

Didn't he see this coming? He's tanking in the polls already; Incumbents are tanking in the polls and by Nov. 2010 whoever campaigns as NOT Obamarahma will win so he can't threaten incumbents with campaign dollars...

Its like herding cats, and frankly, I don't think Oabmarahma has ever even owned a cat.

[Sub Libertate Quietum]

09:42 AM on 12/17/2009

Signs of severe strain, of being "wasted," are often not visible to the American public.

Nevertheless, they are ominous and growing.

Suicides have hit record highs in the Army.

Cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression, having reached an alarming 300,000 in 2008, according to Invisible Wounds of War, a RAND study, continue to escalate, constituting a mental health crisis for the Army.

Traumatic brain injuries from IEDs and other explosive shocks in our war zones, difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat, may already exceed 300,000, another health crisis exacerbated by a lack of treatment available to veterans.

Divorce rates among active duty troops continue to climb.

An epidemic of domestic violence and crime has been linked to returning veterans and to the difficulty of readjusting to "normal" life after months, or years, in combat zones.

These are just five of the better documented signs of an Army that's struggling to cope with wars of unprecedented length and still uncertain outcomes.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/16-1

The WARMONGERS still pound their drums loudly...

[Kimpeach]

09:31 AM on 12/17/2009

Make Obama fight for something! He is not a fighter unless its election time.

[lightbulb10]

01:20 PM on 12/31/2009

Yea, what the heck is WITH that?

[dobriyden]

09:06 AM on 12/17/2009

Now this the perfect time to use the word b1tch.

[Okieborn]

08:20 AM on 12/17/2009

I must say when I volunteered and voted for Hope and Change , I thought the Underdog citizenry of this country finally had a hero !!
No way no how is Obama for the very ones who were suckered in and worked for this mockery !!

[scooperss]

08:10 AM on 12/17/2009

More political theater. We all know her hesitancy is just for show, just like the last 8 years.

[Exexecution]

09:39 AM on 12/17/2009

Second

[lightbulb10]

01:21 PM on 12/31/2009

Do you think it's something she is choosing or characterological.

Very bad.

[Stokes]

07:59 AM on 12/17/2009

Bring our troops home so the war profiteers can't make extra money from dealing in drugs. Their greed and lack of empathy has no end.

[nancytheragingliberal]

07:36 AM on 12/17/2009

I voted for O. b/c I wanted an end to war, war, and more war, death, and bloodshed. After all of his listening to people, he bends over for McChrystal, who should have been fired on the spot. He should have given the General what he asked for in 24 to 48 hours, instead of playing, "Let's pretend." Now our kids will die, along with innocent civilians and our coffers will be depleted even more. I also voted for Obama b/c I was frightened as to my S. Court and its continued swing to the right. I am NOT happy.

[BillyPilgram57]

07:36 AM on 12/17/2009

Mr President....................... If you think you can extend wars by
kicking the ending of them into the future. You have to prove the
need, and you Sir, have to earn our trust if you want any kind of support.

[vippy]

06:57 AM on 12/17/2009

Excuse me, we are BROKE! We have 3 wars going and can't afford any. The DEFENSE BUDGET needs addressing. There is no reason in this world why we have more dedicated to it than the rest of the world combined. Who is the TERROR here? If we would quit antagonizing other countries there would be an end to all this terrorism as they call it. Those people only fight back and rightfully so.
Where we should interfere we are not, so all those things must be self-serving reasons like oil, etc.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

06:50 AM on 12/17/2009

If Pelosi is sincere about "He must make his case," then here's some suggestion based upon what some have previously said:

[ ] "I am a centrist. Although there are some people who are opposed to an endless war whose goals are undefined and undefinable, others are in favor of such a war. I have thoughtfully listened to both sides and have decided that we must follow the middle ground and have endless war."
[ ] "I am merely keeping a campaign promise. It's true that not many people and perhaps no one voted for me to have a dumb war, and it's true that I've broken many promises which it turns out were just campaign promises, this is one campaign promise that I want to keep."
[ ] "I've only been in office for 11 months. Some say that I'm brilliant. A chess player even. This mess is Bush's fault. Although some people say that he is dumb, and even a stupid dry drunk, but I want to do what he's done and even more so."

[scooperss]

08:11 AM on 12/17/2009

Can't he be all 3?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

08:50 AM on 12/17/2009

Oh yea. All three and more. Until his term is up, some people will keep making excuses for him.

[quantumspin]

06:48 AM on 12/17/2009

Obama will put more energy and time into his 'war is peace' plan in Afghanistan than he ever did for health care. But Pelosi needs to fight this, and insist on a long, drawn out debate, similar to what happened with health care. Maybe Afghanistan funding can be based on the passage of a public health care bill---Medicare for all, if we are going to spend 100+bn in Afghanistan and keep spending the same in Iraq. Tie health care into this. See what happens.