Iraq Funding Bill

Source: usliberals.about.com --- 58 days ago
A listing of the 18 benchmarks for "success in Iraq." The benchmarks were drafted by Iraqi leaders, and inserted into U.S. Congressional Bill H.R. 2206, a supplemental Iraq War Funding legislation which was passed by Congress in late May 2007. ...

Source: www.pbs.org --- 67 days ago
In 2006, Democrats took over Congress with a promise to bring U.S. troops home. Kwame Holman looks at what's happened since then and the legislative fight over a Bill to fund the Iraq and Afghan wars. ...

Source: www.metafilter.com --- 32 days ago
In a new GAO report it's noted that the Iraqi government will have a $79 billion dollar surplus by the end of the year (accumulated from 2005-2008). All of this is on top of the $48 billion dollars that the US has contributed to Iraq since 2005. “The Iraqi government now has tens of billions of dollars at its disposal to fund large scale reconstruction projects,” said Mr. Levin, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in the statement. “It is inexcusable for U.S. taxpayers to continue to foot the Bill for projects the Iraqis are fully capable of Funding themselves. We should not be paying for Iraqi projects, while Iraqi oil revenues continue to pile up in the bank,” Mr. Levin said. ...

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com --- 8 days ago
I'm going to be very blunt, here. I wish Senator McCain a very long and happy life. But, at age 72 with a history of cancer, John McCain may not live through his first term, if elected. That would make Sarah Palin our Commander in Chief. I, and other vets and troops, have about 60 days to determine if she'll grow to be ready. She's not ready now -- not based on the complete blank resume on global strategic issues and veterans issues. To be fair, Barack Obama wasn't ready to be Commander in Chief when he became Senator in 2005. But, over the course of the last few years, and the last year-and-a-half in particular, I've been able to soundly judge Senator Obama, and watch him grow into a readied potential Commander in Chief. In the Senate, serving on the Foreign Affairs committee, he's tackled some of the major issues of our time, asking probing and highly informed questions of military leaders and diplomatic leaders. I've been able to watch his thought process in action, and have seen him been proven right on Iraq, right on Afghanistan, right on talking to Iran, and right on the war on terror. He's shown an incredible ability to think in much larger strategic terms than this president, to the point that I'm supremely confident he is ready to lead our Armed Forces. Sarah Palin? God only knows. I've never heard her even address any of those issues, or the veterans issues like the GI Bill, VA Funding, and care for those vets with PTSD, or ...

Source: www.realclearpolitics.com --- 36 days ago
Blame it on a delayed Fiscal Year 2009 budget, on a long fight over Funding for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, presidential veto threats or over energy issues Republicans are using to score political points: This year, Democrats have no plans to finish as many as ten of the twelve annual appropriations bills before Congress adjourns. Instead, frustrated lately by Republican efforts to include provisions on energy legislation in recent appropriations bills during committee hearings, Democrats are planning to offer a massive continuing resolution next month, according to Hill aides. That Bill, which would continue spending at current levels into next year, will include spending measures for all but three traditional appropriations areas, all of which are military-related. House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey and other top Democrats have said the process for passing the spending bills simply takes longer than the amount of time the committee has left. Time ran out, Obey has said, after the chamber was held up working on supplemental Funding for two wars, and veto threats from the White House targeting any Bill that spends above levels requested by President Bush. ...

Source: www.moreover.com --- 54 days ago
Congress has quietly used fiscal 2008 legislation on military construction to signal that it plans on a long-term military presence in Afghanistan. In the recently approved supplemental Funding Bill for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, legislators approved ...

Source: mediamatters.org --- 16 days ago
In an August 20 article , Miami Herald reporters Joseph Goodman and Beth Reinhard uncritically repeated the Republican National Committee's charge that Sen. Barack Obama "vot[ed] against $120 billion for the war last year." In fact, Obama said he voted against a troop Funding Bill in May 2007 because it did not include a timeline for withdrawal. Moreover, Obama has repeatedly voted in the past to provide funds for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. As Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz wrote , "Obama has frequently voted to finance the war but was one of 14 Senate Democrats to oppose a war-Funding Bill last year -- after Republicans removed troop withdrawal deadlines -- saying he did not want to be 'validating the same failed policy in Iraq.' " The article also did not point out that McCain himself has voted against legislation to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. From the August 20 Miami Herald article: ''I have never suggested or never will that Sen. McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition,'' Obama said. ``I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America's national interest. Now, it's time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same.'' The McCain campaign did respond officially to the speech. The Republican National Committee issued a statement that said Obama ''has not led'' on veterans issues. The GOP criticized Obama, a member of the ...

Source: mediamatters.org --- 3 days ago
The Washington Post , The New York Times , McClatchy Newspapers , and the Associated Press all quoted Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) attacking Sen. Barack Obama in a September 2 speech at the Republican National Convention but did not report that the attack violated a pledge Lieberman had made not to "spend [his] time attacking Barack Obama" at the convention. Moreover, each of those reports quoted one of Lieberman's specific attacks on Obama -- that Obama "vot[ed] to cut off Funding for our troops on the ground" -- without noting that Sen. John McCain himself has voted against legislation to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, or that Obama has voted in the past to provide funds for troops stationed there. As Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz wrote : "Obama has frequently voted to finance the war but was one of 14 Senate Democrats to oppose a war-Funding Bill last year -- after Republicans removed troop withdrawal deadlines -- saying he did not want to be 'validating the same failed policy in Iraq.' " All of the above media outlets quoted Lieberman saying: "When others were silent, John McCain had the judgment to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq. When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, when Barack Obama was voting to cut off Funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge, and because of tha ...

Source: mediamatters.org --- 18 days ago
On the August 18 edition of ABC's World News with Charles Gibson , senior national correspondent Jake Tapper reported that Sen. John McCain "has attacked [Sen. Barack] Obama for being ... anti-troops." On-screen, a clip from a McCain campaign ad displayed the text "Against Troop Funding," with several references to congressional votes. But Tapper did not note that McCain has also voted against legislation Funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that, as CNN host and Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz wrote , "Obama has frequently voted to finance the war but was one of 14 Senate Democrats to oppose a war-Funding Bill last year -- after Republicans removed troop withdrawal deadlines -- saying he did not want to be 'validating the same failed policy in Iraq.' " According to a May 24, 2007, press release , Obama said he voted against an appropriations Bill that included Funding because it was "a choice between validating the same failed policy in Iraq that has cost us so many lives and demanding a new one." He continued: "We must fund our troops. But we owe them something more. We owe them a clear, prudent plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else's civil war. We need a plan to compel the Iraqi people to reach a political accommodation and to take responsibility for their own future. It's time to change course." From the August 18 edition of ABC's World News with Charles Gibson : TAPPER: For many Democ ...

Source: mediamatters.org --- 26 days ago
A Reuters article about Sen. John McCain's August 9 speech to disabled veterans included his charge that Sen. Barack Obama "tried to prevent Funding for troops that carried out the surge." In fact, Obama did not try "to prevent Funding for troops that carried out the surge"; he voted against a troop Funding Bill in May 2007, he said, because it did not include a timeline for withdrawal. Moreover, Obama has repeatedly voted for bills that include funds for the Iraq war. The August 11 article by reporter Alister Bull did not correct the falsehood, nor did Bull note that McCain himself has voted against war Funding legislation. The article quoted McCain saying of Obama: "First he opposed the surge, and then he confidently predicted it would fail, and then he tried to prevent Funding for the troops that carried out the surge." Bull then wrote that McCain has "used the same line attack for several weeks now," and went on to describe McCain as an "ardent supporter of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein," without noting that Obama has voted in favor of war Funding in the past and that McCain himself has voted against war Funding legislation. According to a May 24, 2007, press release , Obama said he voted against an appropriations Bill that included Funding because it was "a choice between validating the same failed policy in Iraq that has cost us so many lives and demanding a new one." He continued: "We must fun ...

Source: mediamatters.org --- 18 days ago
An August 19 Associated Press article uncritically reported Sen. John McCain's charge that Sen. Barack Obama "tried to prevent Funding for the troops who carried out the surge." In fact, contrary to the AP report, Obama did not try "to prevent Funding for the troops who carried out the surge." Rather, Obama said he voted against a troop Funding Bill in May 2007 because it did not include a timeline for withdrawal. Moreover, Obama has voted in the past to provide funds for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. As Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz wrote , "Obama has frequently voted to finance the war but was one of 14 Senate Democrats to oppose a war-Funding Bill last year -- after Republicans removed troop withdrawal deadlines -- saying he did not want to be 'validating the same failed policy in Iraq.' " The AP also did not point out that McCain himself has voted against legislation to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and to direct more than $1 billion to the Department of Veteran Affairs, as well as other legislation Funding care for veterans. As Media Matters for America noted , the AP has previously ignored McCain's own votes against troop Funding while uncritically quoting his attacks on Obama. From the August 19 Associated Press article: McCain said Obama placed his political self-interest ahead of his country's, a theme the Arizona Republican has often repeated. McCain told a convention of the Veterans of Foreign W ...

Source: clipmarks.com --- 36 days ago
clipped by: cptenaud clipper's remarks: Either way, I expect that John McCain won't show up to vote. Clip Source: www.vetvoice.com by: Brandon Friedman Thu Jul 31, 2008 Senate Republicans said this week that they would block all legislation prior to the upcoming summer recess unless the Democrats allowed them to bring up a vote on drilling for oil. But now those same Republicans are in trouble : Democratic leadership, initially furious over the obstructionism, is now calling their bluff. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last night introduced a Department of Defense Authorization Bill that would, among other things, include a 3.9 percent across-the-board pay raise for military personnel; major Funding increases for research into traumatic brain injury treatment and troop suicide prevention efforts; $26 billion for the Defense Health Program, and $500 million for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. So either the Senate Republicans will have to acquiesce and go back on their word to filibuster any legislation, or they'll have to block Funding for the troops. This all happens tomorrow tonight. Ouch. Tags: senate , Iraq , afghanistan , harry reid ...

Source: gristmill.grist.org --- 32 days ago
By Brad Johnson Originally posted at the Wonk Room . In eastern Pennsylvania yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) repeatedly argued, " We need to drill here and we need to drill now ." His invocation of the slogan of Newt Gingrich's right-wing 527 corporation , American Solutions for Winning the Future (ASWF), was coupled with the following call for Congress to "come back to town and come back to work": Congress should come back into session, and I'm willing to come off the campaign trail. McCain's call for action on behalf of Big Oil and right-wing billionaires hardly jibes with his record of absenteeism on major votes. In fact, McCain has been on the campaign trail and fundraising circuit a tremendous amount this session, missing far more votes than any other member of Congress. His vacation from his elected duty has included some of the most important legislation considered by Congress: 4/26/07 : Iraq War Funding (passed 51-46) 6/7/07 : Immigration reform (filibustered 34-61) 6/11/07 : Condemning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (filibustered 53-38) 7/26/07 : Homeland Security (passed 85-8) 8/3/07 : Wiretapping (FISA) authorization (passed 60-28) 9/27/07 : Children's health insurance (passed 69-30; vetoed) 2/6/08 : Stimulus package with support for renewable energy (filibustered by one vote) 4/23/08 : Fair Pay Act (filibustered 56-42) 5/22/08 : The 21st-Century GI Bill (passed 75-22) 6/6/08 : Global warming legislation (filibust ...

Source: www.kentucky.com --- 31 days ago
The Iraqi government could end the year with as much as a $79 billion budget surplus as ever-increasing oil revenues pile on top of leftover income the Iraqis still haven't spent on their national rebuilding effort, congressional auditors say. A report by the Government Accountability Office made public Tuesday prompted renewed calls from senators that Baghdad pay more of the Bill for its own reconstruction, which has been heavily supported with U.S. funds. The projected Iraq surplus, including unspent money from 2005 through 2008, has been building because of rising world oil prices, increasing Iraqi oil production, the government's inability to execute budgets for spending its money and persistent violence in the country, the GAO said. The report was requested by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. John Warner, R-Va., the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The Iraqi government now has tens of billions of dollars at its disposal to fund large-scale reconstruction projects," Levin said in a statement. "It is inexcusable for U.S. taxpayers to continue to foot the Bill for projects the Iraqis are fully capable of Funding themselves." ...

Source: www.zawya.com --- 67 days ago
US President George W. Bush on Monday signed into law a 162-billion-dollar spending Bill Funding the Afghanistan and Iraq wars well into 2009 -- roughly six months into his successor's term. ...

Source: www.kentucky.com --- 3 days ago
Republican National Convention speakers held back their harshest rhetoric against Barack Obama and Democrats on Tuesday, but some got in a lick or two that require a touch of context. SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, I-CONN.: "When Barack Obama was voting to cut off Funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge." THE FACTS: Lieberman's statement is true - Obama voted once, in May of last year, against money for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bill, however, passed overwhelmingly. He had voted in favor of troop Funding in April, but the measure included a call to pull troops out of Iraq. President Bush vetoed that legislation. Before his May vote, he had voted for every Bill that financed the troops since he has been in the Senate. HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER JOHN BOEHNER, R-OHIO: "They see Congress adjourning for the summer without a vote on comprehensive energy reforms ... When (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi sent Congress home last month without an energy vote, Republicans refused to leave." THE FACTS: Republicans have remained in the House during Congress' regularly scheduled August recess, demanding that Pelosi call the House back into session to vote on an energy Bill that includes an increase in offshore oil drilling. The show of urgency is mostly theatrical, however, since offshore drilling would increase oil production, but not for seven to 10 years. ...

Source: atlanticfreepress.com --- 5 days ago
by Joshua Frank Cindy Sheehan's independent antiwar campaign against Rep. Nancy Pelosi is beginning to gain steam in San Francisco. I recently caught up with Cindy to discuss her bid for Congress as well as the Democrat's perpetual incompetence. Joshua Frank: Cindy, you recently obtained ballot access in your campaign against Rep. Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. It was a hard fought battle from what I heard. Can you talk about the whole process a little bit, and what you're campaign had to overcome in order to get on the ballot in November's election? Cindy Sheehan: Well, Josh, as you know, last May I renounced my membership in the Democratic Party in response to yet another multi-billion dollar Iraq/Afghanistan war Funding Bill that Pelosi's Congress handed to George W. Bush. In July of 2007, I decided to run against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco's 8th District if she did not reverse her treasonous position of the Constitutional remedy of impeachment being "off the table." As I didn't belong to any political party at that point, I weighed my options and decided to re-register as "Decline to State." Although I resonate with many parts of third party platforms, I thought to retain my independent integrity I would make my bid unaffiliated with any party. We found out early this year that the requirements for obtaining ballot status as a non-partisan in California are the 4th most rigorous in the nation. If one belongs to ...

Source: blogs.cqpolitics.com --- 1 day ago
Now that Sarah Palin has softened up Barack Obama and strengthened up the Republican base, John McCain did what he clearly felt he had the freedom to do tonight: reach out to independent voters. He did draw a few of those all-important “contrasts” with Obama, the term we like to use instead of attacks, particularly on taxes, trade, and health care. But he stayed away from some of the toughest and most misleading ones he’s used in the past, such as claiming that Obama has voted against Funding for the troops when he actually opposed the Bill for a different reason (it didn’t have a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq). He even extended an olive branch to Obama — despite a few boos from the crowd — saying he has “my respect and admiration.” Instead, McCain spent much of his speech playing up his independent streak — and his combative nature: “I’ve fought corruption, and it didn’t matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. They violated their public trust, and had to be held accountable. I’ve fought big spenders in both parties, who waste your money on things you neither need nor want, while you struggle to buy groceries, fill your gas tank and make your mortgage payment — and you will know their names, you will know their names. “I’ve fought to get million dollar checks out of our elections. I’ve fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes. I fought crooked deals in the Pentagon. I fought tobacco companies and trial lawyer ...

Source: www.alsumaria.tv --- 67 days ago
US President Georges W Bush signed the last and largest budget Bill in his term aimed to fund Iraq and Afghanistan wars after it was approved by Congress and presidential candidates Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. The $162 billion Funding extends till Summer 2009 bringing the ... ...