War Spending Bill - Articles - Zimbio

Bush Supports $120 Billion Iraq War Compromise

Wed, 24 May 2007 16:35:00 GMT

posted by sarfun
President Bush held a news conference in the Rose Garden today and predicted tough fighting ahead in Iraq.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said he supports a $120 billion Iraq war spending bill on track to to pass Congress Thursday, ending weeks of wrangling with congressional Democrats on how long U.S. troops should stay.

The bill funds the war through September as Bush wanted and does not set a date for troop withdrawals. In exchange for dropping restrictions on the military, Bush agreed to some $17 billion in spending added by Democrats to fund domestic and military-related projects.

''By voting for this bill, members of both parties can show our troops and the Iraqis and the enemy that our country will support our service men and women in harm's way,'' Bush said in a Rose Garden news conference.

Democrats said they were disappointed with the deal.

''I hate this agreement,'' said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Obey said the deal was the best that Democrats could do manage because ''the White House is in a cloud somewhere in terms of understanding the realities in Iraq.''

The bill includes the nearly $100 billion that President Bush requested for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as billions in domestic spending, including $6.4 billion in hurricane relief and $3 billion in agricultural assistance.

Republicans were unhappy about the added domestic spending, but said they were relieved the final measure did not attempt to set a timetable on the war.

''We cannot and will not abandon the Iraqis to be butchered by these terrorists in their midst,'' said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif. ''And we cannot and will not abandon our mission just as real progress is starting to be made.''

While the measure does not include a timetable on the war, it does threaten to withhold U.S. aid dollars for Iraq if Baghdad fails to make progress on political and security reforms. The president, however, could waive that restriction.

Bush said Iraq's ability to meet the benchmarks outlined in the bill would be difficult.

''It's going to be hard work for this young government,'' he said. ''After all, the Iraqis are recovering from decades of brutal dictatorship.''

The hefty spending bill has become a lightning rod for political attacks on Bush and his handling of the deeply unpopular war, which has killed more than 3,400 U.S. troops and cost more than $300 billion. But it also has exposed a sharp divide among Democrats on how far Congress should go to end the war.

Democratic presidential contenders on Capitol Hill are vying for the anti-war vote, but at the same time do not want to appear as though they are turning their backs on the military.

''I believe as long as we have troops in the front line, we're going to have to protect them,'' said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. ''We're going to have to fund them.''

Biden was alone among the potential Democratic candidates in immediately pledging his support for the bill.

Two front-runners, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, declined to say how they intended to vote on the measure.

Challengers Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio said they would oppose the measure because in their view it issued a blank check to President Bush on the Iraq war.

''Half-measures and equivocations are not going to change our course in Iraq,'' Dodd said in a statement. ''If we are serious about ending the war, Congress must stand up to this president's failed policy now -- with clarity and conviction.''

Democratic leaders planned multiple votes in the House on Thursday to ensure the measure would ultimately pass because of disagreements among members on elements of the bill. One vote was to be on war funding, while another would be to approve the extra money for domestic and military-related projects.

While liberal Democrats were expected to vote against the war funds measure, GOP members were expected to make up for the losses. On the added spending, Democrats likely were to be unified in their support for the measure, overcoming GOP objections.

Bush vetoes water-boarding ban

Sun, 10 Mar 2008 01:02:12 GMT

posted by doctoroblivion

Like this news is a surprise. The Republicans' dangerous stay the course plan is in full swing. Torture and murder are acceptable when clearing land for the so-called chosen ones and, President Bush is just following orders given by his Israeli masters. To hell with what the Americans wish, we are just paying the bills. Furthermore, this dogmatic situation will not end with the election of a new president. Because every presidential hopeful has been bought and paid for by the ultra powerful Jewish lobby long before we ever heard of them.

A LOOK AT THE COST OF THE IRAQ WAR LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE

Sat, 9 Mar 2008 11:17:00 GMT

posted by CORKSPHERE

War is hell - deadly, dangerous and hellishly expensive

By William D Hartung
http://www.atimes.com

But just how expensive is it? In a recent interview, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz asserted that the costs of the Iraq war - budgetary, economic and societal - could reach US$5 trillion.

That's a hard number to comprehend. Figuring out how many times $5 trillion would circle the globe (if we took it all in $1 bills) doesn't really help matters much, nor does estimating how many times we could paper over every square inch of Rhode Island with it.

The fact that total war costs could buy six trillion donuts for volunteers to the presidential campaigns - assuming a bulk discount - is impressive in its own way, but not all that meaningful either.

In fact, the George W Bush administration's war costs have already moved beyond the human scale of comprehension. But what if we were to try another tack? How about breaking those soaring trillions down into smaller pieces, into mere millions and billions? How much, for instance, does one week of Bush's wars cost?

Glad you asked. If we consider the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan together - which we might as well do, since we and our children and grandchildren will be paying for them together into the distant future - a conservative single-week estimate comes to $3.5 billion.

Remember, that's per week! By contrast, the whole international community spends less than $400 million per year on the International Atomic Energy Agency, the primary institution for monitoring and preventing the spread of nuclear weapons; that's less than one day's worth of war costs.

The US government spends just $1 billion per year securing and destroying loose nuclear weapons and bomb-making materials, or less than two days' worth of war costs; and Washington spends a total of just $7 billion per year on combating global warming, or a whopping two weeks' worth of war costs.

So, perhaps you're wondering, what does that $3.5 billion per week actually pay for? And how would we even know? The Bush administration submits a supplemental request - over and above the more than $500 billion per year the Pentagon is now receiving in its official budget - to pay for the purported costs of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and for the global "war on terror".

If you can stay awake long enough to read the whole 159-page document for 2008, it has some fascinating revelations.

Click on link above to read full story

Welcome to our wikizine called "War Spending Bill"

Wed, 24 May 2007 23:29:04 GMT

posted by The_Zimbio_Team
Wikizines are interactive magazines that anyone can create or edit - and this one is called "War Spending Bill". Here you can find fresh voices and respond in real time. Some members write articles about recent news and trends related to the wikizine's topic, others recount relevant personal stories or share their favorite pictures and video clips. Got an interesting idea or story to share with other members of this wikizine? Well, then put on your journalist's cap and add your own article!

Congress passes Iraq war spending bill

Thu, 27 Jun 2008 02:40:20 GMT

posted by gamasutra

Congress has approved a $162 billion spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.