The Politicians Who Love War, But Don't Want To Pay For It

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/10384

The Politicians Who Love War, But Don't Want To Pay For It
by Randolph T Holhut | Oct 11 2007

snip//

Only one senator voted against the measure, Russ Feingold, D-Wis. He said he opposed voting for "a continuing resolution that provides tens of billions of dollars to continued the misguided war in Iraq but does not include any language to bring that war to a close."

And that is the main problem. It's impossible for Congress to say it wants to stop the war if it keeps approving additional funding for the war. It's equally impossible for Congress, and the Bush administration, to keep the war going at its present level without either raising taxes or bringing back the draft to replenish an increasingly depleted military force.

The cost of the wars in Afghanistan — which began six years ago this week— and Iraq is nearing $1 trillion. This cost is being largely funded by borrowing money. Remember, right after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the most important priority for the Bush administration was more tax cuts — thus demonstrating another GOP tactic of the past six years: take advantage of national calamities to push through laws that benefit your supporters.

No one in Congress seems to realize that the Iraq war has left us with a broken military, a broken economy and a broken reputation around the world. No one has the guts to stop funding this war. That's why Congress has an even lower approval rating than President Bush right now.

More and more Americans oppose the U.S. occupation of Iraq, but Congress and the White House are completely stalemated on a withdrawal plan. More and more Americans oppose the ever-increasing cost of the Iraq war and demand fiscal responsibility, but Congress keeps approving the White House demands for more money while refusing to come up with the means to pay for it.

It's been nearly five years since the United States invaded Iraq. The war has been grinding on with no end in sight. There have been vigils and protests and other acts of dissent all over the country, but little has changed. But wars don't end overnight and, as Frederick Douglass once said, "power concedes nothing without a demand."

The only way we can end our occupation of Iraq, and prevent a possible attack on Iran, is massive and sustained public action. Every voice must be raised until the message — stop the war now — cannot be ignored any longer by our leaders. And every politician that fails to heed this message, friend and foe alike, must be removed from office. Only then might we see an end to this stupid, senseless war.