Congress voted overwhelmingly on Friday to approve President Bush's request for $87 billion for the war on terror and reconstruction in Iraq. $66 billion is to cover ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The remaining $20 odd billion is for Iraq reconstruction.
President Bush has said:
This budget request will also support our commitment to helping the Iraqi and Afghan people rebuild their own nations, after decades of oppression and mismanagement. We will provide funds to help them improve security. And we will help them to restore basic services, such as electricity and water, and to build new schools, roads, and medical clinics. This effort is essential to the stability of those nations, and therefore, to our own security. Now and in the future, we will support our troops and we will keep our word to the more than 50 million people of Afghanistan and Iraq.
I can't believe that most of the Democratic members of the House voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for defense and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan. David Brooks tries to figure it out in his NY Times op/ed piece:
Their hatred for Bush is so dense, it's hard for them to see through it to the consequences of their vote. But if Pelosi's arguments had carried the day, our troops in Iraq would be reading this morning about the death of the Bremer plan and the ruination of our efforts to rebuild Iraq.
The vote in the House was 303 to 125, with only 83 Democrats voting for the funding and 113 Democrats voting against the bill. Only six Republicans voted against bill.
In the Senate, the vote was 87 to 12. The following 12 Democrats and Independent voted no.
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Edwards (D-NC)
Graham (D-FL)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hollings (D-SC)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
I am annoyed at all twelve of the senators that voted no. I find the no votes of the four senators that voted in favor of the “Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, Edwards, Harkin, Hollings and Kerry to be especially offensive. It is irresponsible to authorize the use of force and then vote against the funds necessary to support it.
Democratic presidential candidates in Congress split. Representative Dennis Kucinich and Senators John Kerry and John Edwards voted no, while Representative Dick Gephardt and Senator Joseph Lieberman voted yes.
Senator Kennedy said that a "no vote is not a vote against supporting our troops." I couldn’t disagree more. Nearly two-thirds of the $87 billion is for military expenses. Those waging the war of attrition against our forces are encouraged by every indication of “dissent,” whether it be a negative press report or vote against funding the war against terrorism.
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