WASHINGTON - Bowing to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled House and Senate reluctantly approved fresh billions for the Iraq war on Thursday, minus the troop withdrawal timeline that drew his earlier veto.
The Senate vote to send the legislation to the president was 80-14. Less than two hours earlier, the House had cleared the measure, 280-142, with Republicans supplying the bulk of the support.
Five months in power on Capitol Hill, Democrats in both houses coupled their concession to the president with pledges to challenge his policies anew. “This debate will go on,” vowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, announcing plans to hold votes by fall on four separate measures seeking a change in course.
From the White House to the Capitol, the day’s events closed out one chapter in an epic struggle pitting Congress against commander in chief over a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,400 U.S. troops.
[....]
The legislation includes nearly $95 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30. In addition to jettisoning their plan for a troop withdrawal timeline, Democrats abandoned attempts to require the Pentagon to adhere to troop training, readiness and rest requirements unless Bush waived them.
And House Minority Leader John Boehner really turns on the waterworks during the House debate on the war funding bill:
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio choked back tears as he stirred memories of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “After 3,000 of our fellow citizens died at the hands of these terrorists, when are we going to take them on? When are we going to defeat them,” he asked.
Crooks and Liars has the video here. I'll be honest here. I don't know if Boehner actually believed what he just said here. After 3,000 Americans died in the September 11th attacks, and another 3434 American casualties in the war in Iraq, we still haven't taken on the terrorists? Even after we've been involved in the Iraq war for four years? When are we going to take them on? When are we going to defeat them? There is a backwards logic with Boehner's statement and his crocodile tears. It is almost like Boehner actually believes that the past four years of the U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq never existed, and that we are at the start of funding this war. Boehner wants the media and the American people to ignore the last four years of this disaster of a war--we were never ready to take them on then, but now we are ready with this latest war funding. We must avenge the deaths on September 11th--never mind that the number of Americans soldiers killed in Iraq exceeds that of the number of Americans killed on September 11th. It is insane.
Of course, the other thought I had is that Boehner is simply playing the crybaby theatrics in order to get the sympathy vote, and to pass this war funding bill so that more young Americans can be killed or maimed in Iraq. So that the neocons can continue their PNAC fantasy of American hegemony, and Big Oil can control Iraq's oil reserves for their big profits. Either way, it show a callous hypocrisy within John Boehner in wasting young American lives for whatever selfish reasons he has to keep this war going.
Update: Here is the YouTube video of Boehner's crybaby speech.
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