On Memorial Day, we remember the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have died in war since the inception of our nation. We remember their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families on this day. We remember, regardless of whether the wars they fought on our behalf were to establish our liberty from British tyranny in 1776, defend our nation from attack from outside or within our borders, or expand our power and dominance in the world.
Over the past week, many Democrats and progressives have expressed anger at the Democratic Party for the authorization of additional funding for our occupation of Iraq. I have been one of those who have been critical. I have also had some time this weekend to reflect on actually what happened this past week, and what it really means.
First, it means that the President, spoiled brat that he is, has gotten what he want’s; the increasing toll of death and injury inflicted upon American service members and the Iraqi people.
Second, it means that this occupation of Iraq, and the resulting death and injury still firmly remains in the hands of the Republican Collective, including the a small percentage of Democrats who have been assimilated by the Republican Hive and it’s leader Locutus of Bush. (If you ever followed Star Trek the Next Generation, you’ll get it, if not read here.)
Make no mistake about it, the occupation of Iraq, and the results thereof are still now, and shall always be, the property of George W. Bush and the Republicans who still blindly follow his directives.
The vote to support funding of the continued occupation of Iraq, without limit or restriction was 280-142 in the House, and 80-14 in the Senate. Only 30.71% of the votes in the House were from Democrats, and 46.25% of the Senate votes were from Democrats. Of the total votes in the Congress, only 34.16% were from Democrats.
I read today that Cindy Sheehan is leaving the Democratic Party because of the vote. I believe that she and the many others who share her disappointment should reconsider.
Earlier this month, the Democrats sent the President legislation that provided funding on the condition that there be a timeline for withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. The President vetoed the legislation. Senator Joe Biden said in a press statement explaining his vote…
“The practical reality is that, for now, those of us who want to change course in Iraq don’t have the votes to override the President’s veto.â€Â
That’s the truth people, plain and simple.
The president has his war, and the funding to go along with it. He and the Republicans are saddled along with that funding with the fact that this is their war and the blood of the soldiers and civilians that die as a result of it is on their hands.
“The practical reality is that, for now, those of us who want to change course in Iraq don’t have the votes to override the President’s veto.â€Â
It was a funding bill, numbskull., with a majority vote. They didn’t have to override a veto. They only had to have a majority of the House refuse to approve the latest round of funding of the most costly war in American history.
Unfortunately, Democrats and their leaders couldn’t stand up and fight back against the right wing media and their framing.
Well Aunt Millie,
I seem to recall the stand off between President Clinton and the Republican Congress over a budget dispute. While the Reps had the ability to shut down the government, doing so ultimitly failed and the relented on their demands.
Personally, while I do not like putting a single new dime into the occupation of Iraq, I do not like the idea, even if it is solely due to republican framing, of one american soldier dying in this occupation due to a lack of funding even more.
The point of my post is that by no means should the approval of the supplemental occupation funding saddle the democrats with the responsibility for this war. This is just another episode in the continuing adventures of Curious George.