| By MichaelCollins - May 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 am EDT |
Bending Over For Bush
21 War Loving Senate Democrats
Give Bush $165 Billion for More War
Michael Collins
Washington, D.C.
It is now their war. Iraq has been and will be the war of every Senator and Representative who funds the madness.
Over four thousand U.S. troops have been killed in battle in Iraq. Ten times that number have major injuries. Sixty thousand have post traumatic stress disorder. Suicides among veterans are at an epidemic rate, 18 per day, particularly for those who have served in combat.Over a million Iraqis have died as a result of the lawlessness and unrest due to the Bush-Cheney invasion. There are five million Iraqi orphans. "Before it's over," the war will cost three trillion dollars, but there's no end in sightYet each of these Democrats cast that all aside and voted to provide the very worst president in our history, a blatant incompetent, with $165 billion dollars to continue the war.
Democratic Hall of Shame:
Democratic Senators voting more funding for the Bush-Cheney war.
Why would they do that? Because their president asked them to:
"The United States Congress needs to pass a responsible war funding bill that does not tie the hands of our commanders," Bush said. Reuters May 22, 2008
But wait. Weren't the Democrats swept into control of both houses of Congress in 2006 in order to obey the public will by getting us out of Iraq? Didn't they promise to stand up to the insanity of providing more money for a war that gets us into more trouble simply through its continuation?
We've come to expect this out of the lock-step Republicans who are "made men" in the culture of death. Weren't the Democrats supposed to make a difference? It is now abundantly clear that the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party is still in the minority and that the people - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents have no party.
Yesterday, the United States Senate approved an additional $165 billion to continue the Iraq war opposed by about 70% of the people, at a time when over 80% think we're on the "wrong track." The people opposed the war before it started. Specifically, a majority of Republicans and Democrats stated a strong preference for weapons inspections and cooperation with other members of the United Nations before any invasion.
In addition, there was enough information well before the 2002 Iraq War Resolution for each and every politician who voted in favor of folly to know that there were no weapons of mass destruction. Politicians speaking directly into a camera telling us what a "hard decision" it was were lying without compunction. They knew much of what we weren't allowed to know and they supported the war anyway.
But over five years later, these Senators continue the death and carnage, the drain on our much needed resources, and the defamation of the citizens of the United States in the eyes of the world.
Stop the funding, include language for a six month withdrawal, and end it now. That's how you support the troops, serve the people, and end the destruction of Iraq. Anything less is collaboration. Jumping when Bush commands is positively bizarre.
Stop the war and divert funds to health, rebuilding the economy, and staving off the eco-catastrophes that await us. Impeach Bush and Cheney and hold others accountable for their reckless greed, deliberate and calibrated at each step to maximize profits and salve warped egos.
There is a great deal of political optimism about "change." How can that happen when the "opposition" party has 21 Senators who won't change the most damaging policy in memory? In essence, the Senate has a War Party majority of 70. It includes the 21 Democrats listed above plus the 49 Republican Senators.
They don't care because they don't have to. They can commit any form of public malfeasance or private outrage, yet they remain. They're like "the man who came to dinner" and burned the house down. The consequences of the real world don't apply. They are the ultimate "protected class." Their tenure is indefinite.
Congress replicates the rigged economy of socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the rest of us. The privatize elections that they funded after Florida 2000 are the perfect vehicle to perpetuate their reign. They serve The Money Party because they're a part of The Money Party.
It will never stop until the people send an overwhelming message - we do not trust you, not at all. Stop it right now. No more tortured logic. No more Senate multi millionaires club. No more indifference by the pampered who think they're a huge success because they make the rules for a game they always win.
Real people are suffering every day around the world due to the indifference of those who claim to represent us. They squander opportunity after opportunity, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory every time.
It's time to stop listening to promises for the future from any politician and demand solutions in the present. What's their function absent the results to justify their presence in our capitol?
END
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They tried that a few times already. Each attempt was vetoed by the president, and the Democrats have no two-thirds majority to override him (and the Republicans won't vote with them on this one). How do you suggest they "stand up" to the president?
Maybe you should look up how many votes each party has in both the House and the Senate, and see for yourself how much power that gives them.
Another thing you should consider is what will happen to the troops if all funding is suddenly cut off.
That's not to say that I approve of the vote for more funding, I certainly don't. I'm just saying that right now this Congress doesn't really have a choice in this matter.
The link to the comment about bringing them home in six months is to an article by Bill Richardson at the start of the campaign. He actually researched deployment in different scenarios and figured how long it would take to leave. I was impressed with that and nobody challenged him. Perhaps I could have said it better but my point was simply this: fund the withdrawal and related activities. That is technically diable and straight forward
You're correct, some riders have been attached on "goals" for withdrawal or for ending the war but they're lawyerly and not serious. They pretend to put tough language in bills, Bush pretends like it's serious and threatens a veto. Serious political proposals would be this - we're leaving, here's the money, here's what to do with it, period.l
But the 21 don't want the war to end. They voted for it initially, knowing it was based on lies, and "They Knew" (Link. You'll be impressed by the source, which provides permission to reprint this wonderful document (Center for American Progress). This is tthe horror. All or almost all of this information negating the rationale for the Iraq War Resolution was available BEFORE the vote by the Senate and the House. That means the moaning and groaning at the start was as fraud, they knew, and the delay now is a fraud as well.
The 21 should be ashamed of themselves. They're not. They're knowingly continuing a war that has caused death and injury to U.S. troops in the tens of thousands (combined) and in the millions to Iraqi civilians
We're experiencing a period of decadence in our governing bodies that is remarkable. The people don't support this nonsense. Republicans and Democrats opposed going to war before inspections were complete and only with UN support. But the lies were told and here we are.
There is no excuse, imho, for this behavior by any U.S. Senator. They know better.
This is not true. It is by now an open secret that Congress was not given adequate information before the vote. The Republicans of course didn't care, and the Democrats couldn't do anything about it. At the same time, they were under a lot of pressure not to appear unpatriotic, and back in those days (remember, it was just 1 year after 9/11 and Bush's approval ratings were still very high), it was considered unpatriotic not to support the president.
Doesn't mean I approve of it. But just try to put yourself in their shoes.
The dallying and delay by Congress reflects a wish fulfillment - not having to face the consequences of their actions. When it is over, people will look and we, in the USA, will find out what people all over the world know, the terrible cost of this war. Read from the first entry through "5.0 million orphans" to get an idea of what Congress doesn't want to face. When the war ends, the scrutiny begins, in a nation where 70% oppose the war.
Link
The dallying and delay by Congress reflects a wish fulfillment - not having to face the consequences of their actions. When it is over, people will look and we, in the USA, will find out what people all over the world know, the terrible cost of this war. Read from the first entry through "5.0 million orphans" to get an idea of what Congress doesn't want to face. When the war ends, the scrutiny begins, in a nation where 70% oppose the war.
Link
They're NOT dallying and delaying. As I said in my first post, it's for a lack of a two-thirds majority that they can't end the war right away. They tried, more than one time. I worked on Capitol Hill last summer when they tried for the first time to get the timetable for withdrawal passed along with the funding bill, and they couldn't do that cause they didn't have the votes to override the president's veto. Besides, the Iraq war isn't the only issue that needs to be taken care of. Do you even know how many bills they try to vote on every day?
I'd like to see this war end just as much as you do. However, we should put the blame where it belongs, to the president who is still unwilling to change course and admit he was wrong in starting this war.