HOUSE GIVES BUSH $124 BILLION ABOVE HIS FAKE BUDGET AND TELLS HIM TO END IRAQ WAR BY AUGUST 2008

It looks like the first part of Speaker Pelosi's grand strategy to start easing the U.S. out of Iraq worked today-- by a hair. The House just "passed a $124 billion emergency spending bill that sets binding benchmarks for progress in Iraq, establishes tough readiness standards for deploying U.S. troops abroad and requires the withdrawal of American combat forces from Iraq by the end of August 2008. After four hours of floor debate yesterday and today, the House approved the bill by a vote of 218 to 212. One lawmaker voted present and three did not vote."

The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans Health and Iraq Accountability Act "includes military funding beyond the level requested by Bush, adding money for health care for returning service members and veterans in the wake of a scandal over the treatment of wounded outpatient soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center... [It] requires the Pentagon to stick to its standards for training and equipping combat troops being sent abroad. It also enforces rules that limit the tours of deployed troops to no more than 13 months and stipulate that they have to stay home for at least a year between tours."


Bush's says he'll veto it, of course. Democrats united behind Pelosi in the fight for public opinion that now looms as the Bush Regime goes on the attack. Rep. Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq War vet elected to Congress made the case to his colleagues, a case Bush should listen to before he irresponsibly takes out the veto pen he never used against Bridges to Nowhere or for any of the horrible legislation his rubber stamp Congress passed before voters in every part of the country defeated the Republicans in November. "To those on the other side of the aisle who are opposed, I want to ask you the same questions that my gunner asked me when I was leading a convoy up and down Ambush Alley one day. He said, ‘Sir, what are we doing over here? What’s our mission? When are these Iraqis going to come off the sidelines and fight for their own country?’ So to my colleagues across the aisle-- your taunts about supporting our troops ring hollow if you are still unable to answer those questions now four years later."

Speaker Pelosi, also addressing the rubber stamp Republicans, seemed to take aim at Bush directly. "Rather than sending more troops into the chaos that is the Iraqi civil war, we must be focused on bringing the war to an end. We can do that by passing this bill that transforms the performance benchmarks that have already been endorsed by President Bush and the Iraqi government, into requirements…Benchmarks without deadlines are just words. Four years of this war, words are not enough."

Yesterday I mentioned that, although some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus had voted against the bill, the Caucus as a whole threw in with Pelosi on this in the sincere hope that it would actually lead to an end to the calamity and catastrophes Bush's policies and agenda in the Middle East has dragged our country into. Only two Republicans, Gilchrest (MD) and Jones (NC) were decent enough and patriotic enough to break through their misplaced partisan loyalties to vote "yes." Most of the opponents in the Democratic Party were reactionary, war-supporting Blue Dogs. In fact, let's take a look at the Iraq-related voting records of the 14 Democrats who voted "no."

There were 44 roll calls in the House between October 10, 2002 (the 4 votes to authorize the use of force in Iraq) and May 25, 2005. There were only 4 Democrats who heroically voted against Bush on every single roll call-- Raul Grijalva (AZ), Maurice Hinchey (NY), James McGovern (MA) and Donald Payne (NJ). They score 100. There were 101 Republicans who voted with Bush on every single Iraq-related bill. That is the very definition of "rubber stamp Republican." Each of those shameless Republican whores scored a zero.

Let's examine the voting records of the 14 Democrats who voted "no" on the supplemental bill. Among the committed war opponents who voted no as a symbolic protest against sending more billions in Iraq were Barbara Lee (CA) and Lynn Woolsey (CA) who each has a score of 97.73; John Lewis (GA) with a score of 95.35; Maxine Waters (CA) with a 93.02 score; and Diane Watson (the congresswoman who represents the home of DWT World Headquarters) with 90.70. Those are the members who have consistently put their votes where their mouths were and have what I would call unblemished anti-war records. Democratic presidential candidate Dennis "Give Me Face Time" Kucinich also voted "no" and he has an opportunistic though somewhat anti-war voting record (with a score of 79.07). Michael Michaud (ME) has a similar so-so voting record (77.50) and he joined the reactionaries for whatever reason today. The rest are reactionaries and war-mongers who have consistently supported Bush from Day One and continue to push for endless war:
John Barrow (GA)- 63.64
Dan Boren (OK)- 63.64
Lincoln Davis (TN)- 62.50
Michael McNulty (NY)- 61.36
Gene Taylor (MS)- 56.82
Jim Matheson (UT)- 52.27
Jim Marshall (GA)- 41.94


A final thought on this: the DCCC has asked Democrats who oppose the war to send them contributions today. Keep in mind that money you send to the DCCC goes directly to prop up unpopular Blue Dogs who vote against Democratic principles and values every day, people like John Barrow and Jim Marshall in Georgia. If you're in a giving mood today, I'd like to suggest that you send your donations instead to courageous men and women representing Republican-leaning districts who nonetheless voted their consciences today and are helping to end this disastrous war-- a war that would never have happened without members like Barrow and Marshall, not to mention Steny Hoyer and other Democrats who have supported Bush every step of the way. All the congressmen and candidates endorsed by Blue America are working hard to end the war. That's where you should donate money. May I suggest starting with Patrick Murphy? Even $5.00 at that link will show Murphy, or any of the others, that you understand and appreciate what he's trying to do for our country. Thanks.