Here Comes the Showdown

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Posted on Apr 26, 2007

The Senate on Thursday followed the House’s lead, passing the bill that allows $124.2 billion to be dedicated to the war effort so long as our troops begin pulling out of Iraq by Oct. 1 and continue withdrawing over ensuing months.  The ball is thus in Bush’s court, and his veto is practically a foregone conclusion at this point.

AP via Breitbart.com:

The 51-46 vote was largely along party lines, and like House passage of the same bill a day earlier, fell far short of the two-thirds margin needed to overturn the president’s threatened veto. Nevertheless, the legislation is the first binding challenge on the war that Democrats have managed to send to Bush since they reclaimed control of both houses of Congress in January.

“The president has failed in his mission to bring peace and stability to the people of Iraq,” said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He later added: “It’s time to bring our troops home from Iraq.”

The $124.2 billion bill requires troop withdrawals to begin Oct. 1, or sooner if the Iraqi government does not meet certain benchmarks. The House passed the measure Wednesday by a 218-208 vote.

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By John F. Butterfield, April 27, 2007 at 3:36 am Link to this comment

I agree with Mar Del Zur.

“Let him veto it…and don’t send him a new bill. If, when he stomps his feet and whines about being the ‘decider’, he demands a new bill - send the exact same one back to him.”

“In the meanwhile, begin the impeachment proceeding for him and Cheney.”

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By Margaret Currey, April 27, 2007 at 2:53 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Some talking heads will say that there is some improvement, I wonder what Bush says that the Dems are micromanaging the war is true, I think that Bush is running the generals to the talking heads and even though they cannot guarantee winning they will say things are getting better, but when will people really see that things are getting better, maybe things will be better for one day, but it takes days of nonviolance for things to get better.

M.Currey

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By cann4ing, April 27, 2007 at 12:22 am Link to this comment

Re comment #66587 by Quy Tran:  What “showdown?”  This is a tragic farce.  As they made a big show of it with their so-called “timetables,” the Democrats have voted to pour another $100 billion into this sinkhole.  By funding this war, they are not “supporting the troops,” they are betraying them.  They are enabling the Bush regime to leave them in harm’s way, sacrificial poor boys fighting a rich man’s war.  Most of the money will find its way to the coffers of Halliburton, Bechtel, Blackwater and the military-industrial complex. 

Every day this illegal war of aggression continues translates to more death.  Yet the Democrats are wasting time with a bill they know the President will veto and that will put them back at square one simply to score points for the 2008 election. 

Playing politics over something so serious is disgraceful.  As Mr. Kucinich forcefully argues, the very reason Democrats are now in power is to put an end to this fiasco.  The only means by which Congress can bring this war to an end is to stop funding it.  Yet, this article fails to so much as mention only comprehensive proposal now in Congress, H.R. 1234 (Kucinich) that provides an effective means for ending this illegal war of aggression, and Ms. Peolosi tells us that both impeachment and a cut-off of funds are “off-the-table.”  She might as well have said that democracy is off-the-table.

Finally, Mr. Obama’s claim that they don’t have the votes to cut-off funds doesn’t cut it.  It only takes 41 votes to prevent cloture.  The Democrats in the Senate could easily fillibuster until funds were no longer available.

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By QuyTran, April 26, 2007 at 3:50 pm Link to this comment

Bravo ! This showdown tells the end of the dirtiest war of our modern times.

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By 911truthdotorg, April 26, 2007 at 1:44 pm Link to this comment

Sadly, I seriously doubt the Dems have the balls to ultimately stand their ground.

They’ll cave and give him whatever he wants.
I have no faith in them.

I renounced my Dem party affiliation after they said impeachment was off the table after the Nov election.
This chimp is the poster child for impeachment.

I hope I’m wrong, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Google video: 9/11 Press for Truth

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By Mar Del Zur, April 26, 2007 at 1:34 pm Link to this comment

Let him veto it…and don’t send him a new bill. If, when he stomps his feet and whines about being the ‘decider’, he demands a new bill - send the exact same one back to him.

In the meanwhile, begin the impeachment proceeding for him and Cheney.

Report this