Posted on 02/13/2008 2:25:08 AM PST by Tennessee Nana
WASHINGTON — Hoping to block a $120 million sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia that goes through on Friday, Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and two other Republican lawmakers on Tuesday urged their colleagues to oppose President Bush’s plans.
A resolution signed by 80 Democrats and 13 Republicans opposes the sale of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to Saudi Arabia. Rep. Wamp called it “a mistake” to be selling high-tech weapons to a country that consistently bankrolls terrorist organizations.
“We have tried to buy friends with arms, but usually it doesn’t work, and they turn around and use them against us,” Rep. Wamp said. “There is a clear pattern of the royal family aiding and abetting the enemy. They have to prove they’re our friends, and they haven’t done that.”
According to the Arms Control Export Act of 1976, the president is required to notify Congress of an impending arms sale, giving the legislative body 30 days to consider the deal. That deadline to pass a joint resolution of disapproval expires Thursday.
President Bush has said the sale is needed to keep Saudi Arabia as an ally in stabilizing the Middle East.
Lawmakers opposing the sale note that 70 percent of the most-wanted international terrorists are Saudi Arabians and that the majority of suicide bombers in Iraq have come from Saudi Arabia.
“People of all political stripes have come out against this deal,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who is leading the opposition to the sale.
“The Saudis at every turn have been uncooperative,” Rep. Weiner said. “The idea that we are going to reward the Saudis with precision weaponry is a stunningly bad idea, and clearly deserves the full review of Congress.”
With two days left before the deadline and just 93 House members committed to the resolution, Rep. Wamp acknowledged that their chances of getting it passed are getting slimmer. Congress still can prevent the sale through separate legislative action.
“Time is running out,” he said. “We had hoped there’d be more scrutiny. We should think about what’s in our best interests.”
Since 1994, he has been strong on National Security, the troops and the veterans...
Sounds like you have a good House Rep there
Cant believe Boosh wants to sell weapons to a nation that bankrolls terrorists. So much for the WoT
PING
“We have tried to buy friends with arms, but usually it doesn’t work, and they turn around and use them against us,” Rep. Wamp said. “There is a clear pattern of the royal family aiding and abetting the enemy. They have to prove they’re our friends, and they haven’t done that.”
Yeppers
I think he’s planning to run for TN Gov in 2010
:)
Yeppers
I think he’s planning to run for TN Gov in 2010
:)
We sell them arms yet they hate us. We sell them arms yet we have to protect them. Our own government is going to kill us. How can we be so naive?
If we are nice to them they will be nice to us dontcha know ???
They really are nice folks who just want to be friends...
/s
President Bush has done some very shaky things lately...
The money folks behind terrorists.
Why are we so far up the saudis ass?
Oil.
If not for oil they’d still be sand fleas.
I doubt that a half dozen people in West Tennessee have a slight clue who he is.
He's right on this. But if Ron Paul said the exact same thing he would be labeled a Whack Job Kook by the MSM and RNC. It's time we took a hard look at our M.E. policies.
Jr ???
You mean Ned McWerther’s son ???
Zach can beat him
Or Harold Ford Jr ???
I didn’t even realize that Ned Ray had a son.
Yes
Ned’s son is Michael or something...maybe Brian...
LOL
It was announced about 6 months ago...
So, since 1994 he’s been condemning arms sales to Saudi?
The Saudis need a shakeup from within and from it's neighbors. Maybe then they will want to be an ally to us, instead of us buying/selling friendship to them.
In this instance, he is naive. He doesn’t understand the situation in the Gulf where Saudi Arabia and the GCC are our allies in the war with Iran.
The congressman is way behind the times.
What the heck? More dims than republicans????
But Wamp does not care one wit about private property rights. Long story, but personal, first hand experience speaking here after Wamp refused to use his authority to block local "officials" from granting eminent domain rights to a private, for profit company to seize the land of his constituents for an unneeded pump storage facility that TVA had already studied and said was not viable. Wamp wouldn't even agree that we were on the right side of the issue. This is one former Wamp constituent that is glad the districts were re-arranged......this guy is a weasel of the highest order. Meet with him sometime and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.....
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