Tuesday, January 09, 2007

"The First 100 Hours" Begins

"Kennedy opposes money for troop boost":
"That war is the overarching issue of our time, and American lives, American values and America’s role in the world are all at stake,” Mr. Kennedy said today in a speech at the National Press Club, where he called his vote against the war in 2002 “the best vote I’ve cast in my 44 years in the United States Senate. The best immediate way to support our troops is by refusing to inject more and more of them into the cauldron of a civil war that can be resolved only by the people and government of Iraq.". Here's the text.
Paul Abrams:
Unlike Biden, Barack Obama is investigating the tools at the disposal of Congress. Harry Reid has left a funding cutoff on the table. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has told the President that his accountability moment was coming. I would like to offer an additional suggestion: do NOT pass the Omnibus Budget for 2006 as is, but rather exempt the White House budget. Put the White House on a quarterly budget, and set conditions to trigger the next quarter's funding. Those should include complying with Congressional requests for hearing participation and document production. They should also include recognizing the authority of Congress to set broad limits on our military engagement.

While our incredibly brave soldiers are risking, and losing, life and limb in Iraq, it is not too much to ask the comfortable politicians to brace for the battle, to fight tooth-and-nail at every corner, at every bend, with every means at our disposal, and to leave nothing unspent, to bring this disastrous engagement to an end. Whatever might be accomplished in the short-run, will unravel once we depart, and thus the loss of a single more life, or limb, is morally corrupt.

And, boys and girls, while you are at it, you might ask just who authorized the US to attack Somalia, and when such a measure passed. The timing is no accident. It is standard neocon fare to start new hostilities when the current war is deteriorating, just at the moment of decision. This is meant to conflate in peoples' minds the war in Iraq with the broader challenge of terrorism. Recall, Nixon's "incursions" and then bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, and Reagan's Grenada invasion following the killing of 200+ US marines in Lebanon.
"Murtha Outlines Strategy To Restrict Troop Surge":
"Most of the military commanders say we can't afford to send more troops," Mr. Murtha said, and he has urged the president's national-security adviser, Stephen Hadley, to expedite submission of the war-funding requests to facilitate hearings and debate.

The chairman met recently at the White House with Mr. Hadley, Vice President Cheney and the president regarding Iraq policy, but remains skeptical of the administration's approach. He is planning a set of hearings beginning this month on the state of Army and Marine Corps readiness; as chairman, he can recommend that the restrictions be part of the text of the funding bill and challenge others to take out the language.

"They will say we're micromanaging the Defense Department. Well they need to be micromanaged," he said. "What we decide is the direction of the country on this war."
"68 Republicans break ranks, vote with Democrats on first bill of 110th Congress":
A House bill (H. Res. 1) to implement recommendations suggested by the September 11th Commission passed by a vote of 299 to 128, with eight members of Congress not voting.

Just after 7:15 PM Eastern, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the bill had passed, and gaveled the end of the vote. Joining 231 Democrats were 68 Republican members of Congress.

House Republican Leadership had urged a no vote to the legislation, reasoning that it had not been considered with appropriate hearings by House committees, and amendments on the House floor were not permitted.

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