August 29, 2007, $50 billion here, $50 billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money
That kind of sums up my feeling toward the latest financial sleight of hand associated with funding Dick Cheney's retirement the Iraq War, to wit, the latest request for a supplemental to the supplemental, or another $50 billion in previously undisclosed spending for the Iraq (and Afghanistan!) wars, running their current costs to over $3 billion per week.
This, boys and girls, is the one thing a Democratic Congress could do: it can cut off funding. It doesn't need Republican permission to do that-- because the Dems get a veto in reverse: they can either not bring this to the floor, or not pass it. And that's that. The war ends, because it can't be paid for.
But, despite the fact that the American people have made it abundantly clear that they have the Dems' backs on this, in order to play out a 2008 Presidential campaign issue, and most importantly, because they fear David Broder and Tim Russert more than any of us, we know we can expect the Dems-in-majority to hold some kabuki hearings (if that) followed by the issuance of a blank check for $50 billion more payable to the order of "George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, in trust for the United States of Amurka".
And we won't even think about what $50 billion (let alone that amount tenfold or more thus far spent) could do for national infrastructure, or education, or health care, or any of the other stupid priorities that only stupid (and probably gay) liberals think government is about, instead of manly stuff like discretionary wars that make us look tough, even if they do no good (and quite a bit of harm). Which is what really counts. Take that, Defeatocrats.
Comments
It would be lovely to witness, but if the Dems went for de-funding the war and brought everything to a halt, they would be accused for the next couple of generations of (gasp!) being unpragmatic fools. That counts for so very much in the nasty politics of this system. The key players, like Pelosi and Reid, know it, and that is why they will never do it. But again, it's sad. It would be a beautiful thing to see -- a kamakaze assault like that, for the finest cause.
Posted by Manifesto Joe at August 30, 2007 3:34 AM