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Yes!
By Tom | October 3, 2007
Yesterday, Rep. David Obey (D-WI), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, laid down a marker. At a news conference, he said the following:
“I would be more than willing to report out a supplemental meeting the President’s request if that request were made in support of a change in policy that would do three things.– “Establish as a goal the end of U.S. involvement in combat operations by January of 2009.”
– “Ensure that troops would have adequate time at home between deployments as outlined in the Murtha and Webb amendments.”
– “Demonstrate a determination to engage in an intensive, broad scale diplomatic offensive involving other countries in the region.”
“But this policy does not do that. It simply borrows almost $200 billion to give to the Departments of State, Defense, Energy, and Justice with no change in sight.
“As Chairman of the Appropriations Committee I have absolutely no intention of reporting out of Committee anytime in this session of Congress any such request that simply serves to continue the status quo.”
About time.
This is the one option the Democratic Congress has always had, and that never, ever, depended on having any votes, let alone enough votes.
The logic is simple. No money can be apropriated, event a supplemental for the war, without a bill. No bill, no money. You want a bill, then start changing strategy. Period. No arguments, no back door, no nothing.
Can Bush & Cheney continue to press ahead with their plan to dump their war on the doorstep of a new president? Sure. But at an ever increasing cost to other Pentagon budget lines. But so what? The guys at the top of the military hierarchy love this war so much, they can sacrifice for it.
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