Posted on 01/07/2007 7:51:21 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Pelosi hints at denying Bush Iraq funds
12 minutes ago
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said newly empowered Democrats will not give President Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq, hinting they could deny funding if he seeks additional troops.
"If the president chooses to escalate the war, in his budget request, we want to see a distinction between what is there to support the troops who are there now," she said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
"The American people and the Congress support those troops. We will not abandon them. But if the president wants to add to this mission, he is going to have to justify it and this is new for him because up until now the Republican Congress has given him a blank check with no oversight, no standards, no conditions," said Pelosi, D-Calif.
Her comments on CBS' "Face the Nation" came as Bush worked to finish his new war plan that could send as many as 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq and provide more money for jobs and reconstruction programs.
Bush is expected to announce his plan as early as Wednesday.
When asked about the possibility of cutting off funds, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declined to say whether Democrats might do so, saying only that the current strategy clearly is "not working."
"I don't want to anticipate that," said Hoyer, D-Md., on "Fox News Sunday."
Some military officials, familiar with the discussions, say Bush at first could send 8,000 to 10,000 new troops to Baghdad, and possibly Anbar Province, and leave himself the option of adding more later if security does not improve.
"Based on the advice of current and former military leaders, we believe this tactic would be a serious mistake," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
< /sarcasm & anger >
Gerald Ford was not speaker of the House, and quite likely never would have been. He was House *Minority* leader. He was appointed VP by Nixon after VP Agnew resigned, as Nixon's insurance policy against impeachment, which didn't work. The nation was indeed fortunate that Nixon at least picked a good honest and well meaning man from middle America, as his back up.
Bull Puckey. They successfully fought off the first NVA combined arms assault in April 1972, with US airpower assistance of course, but no or very few US ground forces. They'd have done fine if their air support, which we taught them and organized them to need, and more importantly beans and bullets for their ground troops, had not been cut off by the 'Rats in Congress.
We are talking budgets and funding, not creation of new socialist programs. The President can't veto was is never passed.
And when we leave there, they'll join their comrades here. Nice move Nancy.
The funds will have to come from somewhere. If all Congress does is cut off the supplemental, then other appropriated Operations and Maintenance resources could be used, at the expense of crippling training, equipment maintenance, and so forth.
However if they, as the did in '74, forbid spending any money on the war, or any money beyond a certain amount, then Bush won't have much choice, other than to break the law, thus giving the Dems convenient and easily understood grounds for impeachment.
Bust out that veto pen George.
There is no such thing. He can refuse to spend appropriated funds, at least in most cases, but probably not "entitlements".
He would have to veto bills wholesale. Which he could, and IMHO should, do. But the screeching in the DNC media will be horrific.
Source? It's not not what we've heard, from sources more credible than AP or Reuters.
As a once popular President said on a different matter, "Bring it ON!".
That is what should be said to the new dem leadership and Congress.
Bring it ON!
Then veto every piece of legislation that does not support the military effort. Every piece! Education, health, highways, everything!
Read the history on Andy Jackson's presidency for how things can be done.
God bless you, and all the families like yours, that have sacrificed.
If the democrats cut funding for the troops, I, like HarleyLady, will be marching on Washington. I'll tell everyone who'll listen, and try to get them to join me.
The dims are going to turn Iraq into another VietNam.I was a young kid at the time,but i vividly recall watching the mass exodus from Saigon,and the desperation of the South Vietnamese who were trying to escape the communists.Many who were left behind faced prison,and many others were executed.Would Pelosi,Kennedy,Murtha,etc feel any responsibility if the same scenario happens in Iraq?
Russert was practically begging for it on MTP! "Can you do then Senator Biden? Can yah can yah"
Conservatives of America will not let Vietnam happen all over again, when Dems then cut off funding for our staged retreat from Vietnam, and hundreds of American servicemen died getting their dependants out.
This time, when the anti-war 2nd generation smuts take to the streets chanting and singing about thier so called"peace.", they will have their heads busted by counter demonstrating conservatives.
Thats what Pelosi wants? Then she will rue the day that her megalomania supplanted political logic.
And this "thing" is third in line for the presidency?
Commander in Brief, not Commander in Chief.
Her days as speaker appear increasingly as low numbered.
I am exceedingly pleased with myself.The Republican party and its RINOs abandoned me, after I voted straight ticket Republican in 4 subsequent federal elections. I did nothing to abandon them as you seem to state.
And if there is no conservative presidential candidate, I will stay home again in 2008.
As for the troops being posiibly abandoned, hang that on the RINO aristocracy of the Republican party, where it belongs, not on those who were and are now marginalized by a weak soft cheese set of Republican moderates who have taken over the Republican party, who failed or refused to deliver as promised.
I know of a few thousand British aristocrats who made that same mistake in 1776.
Hey Smithee! You are a good writer, and I like your style.So much so that I visited your melanin content Freeper home page. Damn , you're sharp tongued!So refreshing to read, in the middle of the 2 line poofter posts ( mine included) which attempt to address complex political issues, and mostly fail.
Sometimes I think that there are several dozen of us here on FR who should be immediately elevated as RNC speech writers..... and paid 200 grand a year for our efforts.
Let me be the first to shake your hand for that bit of highly accurate and entertaining bit of writing.
Certainly President Reagan was quite creative in seeking alternate funding for the Contra effort. I expect President Bush and the Saudis will continue in that method.
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