posted on September 26, 2007 01:39:33 PM
Or will the anti-war liberals REFUSE to grant them these funds?
They claimed they would END THE WAR - IF elected - and so far they haven't. Will they now actually find their backbones and REFUSE to fund these military needs?
I don't think they will. Oh, they'll scream and holler some more, they're great at that, but I don't see them voting AGAINST giving our troops what they need to be successful in their missions.
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Pentagon Requests $190 Billion for Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:09pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday asked Congress to approve nearly $190 billion more in spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In prepared testimony to a Senate committee, Gates said the Bush administration sought the money for more training and equipment for the U.S. military, including new armored vehicles that give extra protection to troops against bomb blasts. The funds were for the 2008 fiscal year beginning October 1.
More money was also needed to train and equip Iraqi security forces as well as to improve U.S. facilities in the region and "consolidate our bases in Iraq," Gates said. Reuters obtained a copy of his remarks in advance of his testimony on Wednesday.
In asking for the money, Gates said he was aware of the controversy surrounding the unpopular war. Since September 2001, Congress has appropriated $602 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
"I know that Iraq and other difficult choices America faces in the war on terror will continue to be a source of friction within the Congress, between the Congress and the president, and in the wider public debate," Gates said.
But he said U.S. troops had done far more than had been asked of them, and "like all of you, I always keep our troops -- their safety and their mission -- foremost in my mind every day."
The administration had already asked Congress to approve $147 billion for the war effort in the coming fiscal year. Gates said it was seeking another $42 billion more, bringing the total war funding request for fiscal 2008 to $189 billion.
The biggest chunk of the new request would go for force protection, including $11 billion for fielding about 7,000 more of the new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, which have V-shaped hulls to disperse the impact of bomb blasts. This amount is being sought in addition to 8,000 MRAPS already funded or requested, Gates said.
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"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on September 26, 2007 09:32:48 PM
$190 billion is not chump change. It is an OBSCENE amount of money that could do a lot of good in this country. Or in the Sudan, for instance.
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There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
