Senate approves $63 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan wars

[ECH1969]

The Senate agreed to spend an additional $63 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as lawmakers on Thursday passed a massive bill that funds the Pentagon.

The bill sailed through by a vote of 98-0 after senators added money to help track down al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and fight the opium trade in Afghanistan that is helping fuel the Taliban's resurgence.

The bill now totals $469.7 billion. It grew by more than $16 billion during a debate that began in July before it was suspended during lawmakers' four-week August recess.

The bill also contains $1.8 billion to construct 370 miles of fencing and almost 500 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060907-1543-defensespending.html

[aquart]

1. Well, they're not getting it from our rich citizens.

Where then?

[Monkeyman]

4. Cuts to real people that where

[davekriss]

19. They'll get it from...

...the retiring baby boom middle and lower classes through marked reduction in social security and medicare benefits, collapsed pensions, collapsing home values, and rising unemployment. They'll get it from our children and grandchildren in the form of interest and principle payments on exploding deficits as payments made to the top 1% of the U.S. that, after 26 years of intense class war, now own better than 57% of all stocks and bonds. Our children and grandchildren will live a markedly diminished quality of life because of illegal and immoral Bush adventurism and outright murder and theft. Bush will go down as the Nero of our age, as our personal Caligula. The PNAC vision of empire will implode from within as the failing Enlightenment-based social contract known as the "United States of America" rots out from within and we're left to pay for bread with wheelbarrows of inflated dollars. 50% of us will still blame whatever scapegoat of the day they're told to blame by our "leaders" and MSM. And those will be the good times, followed by global warming-induced hurricanes, tornadoes, rising sea levels, failing crops, rapidly declining oil production, and Malthusian die-off. Like Bush said, "in the long run we're all dead!". Thank every Republican you see for this dystopia they blindly usher in. Such is the result of unfettered greed and criminal blindness to anyone not them.
:nuke:

[cspanlovr]

2. A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it starts to add up.

They must feel like its monopoly money their playing with.

[xchrom]

3. 63? -- now you KNOW they're gonna turn around ask for more

as soon as november is over.

63 -- pffft.

[MichiganVote]

5. Why doesn't our republican Congress just take the whole Treasury

and go to Las Vegas for the weekend?

[Bonobo]

6. And my kid's school has 26 kids in 5th grade class... FU Shrub!

[CountAllVotes]

7. throw them ALL out!

I will not vote for one single "Senator" that voted for this bill.

F*CK YOU U.S. SENATE!

What happened to a government by the people, of the people, and for the people? Why do you hate America and it's citizens you greedy bunch of shill-assed Senators?

$$$$$$$$$$$ is why! :grr:

Give them ALL THE BOOT in '06 while the chance is there!

:kick: them all out! :kick:

[liberal N proud]

8. Well there goes my Great-Great Grandchildren share of the deficit

[leesa]

9. More money into Bush's buddy's pockets

[gulfcoastliberal]

10. Gotta keep the defense contractors well dressed

Certainly none of that money is "for the troops" with their obsolete gear, unarmored vehicles, and rotten food and contaminated water. I wonder how those defense contractors sleep at night.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. On 700 thread count sheets, I would imagine.

I wonder how those defense contractors sleep at night.

:shrug:

[Earth_First]

12. APRIL 23, 2003: Rebuilding of Iraq Could Be Accomplished With $1.7 Billion

TED KOPPEL: I mean, when you talk about 1.7, you’re not suggesting that the rebuilding of Iraq is gonna be done for $1.7 billion?

NATSIOS: Well, in terms of the American taxpayers contribution, I do, this is it for the US.

KOPPEL: You’re saying the, the top cost for the US taxpayer will be $1.7 billion. No more than that?

NATSIOS: For the reconstruction. And then there’s 700 million in the supplemental budget for humanitarian relief, which we don’t competitively bid ’cause it’s charities that get that money.

KOPPEL: I understand. But as far as reconstruction goes, the American taxpayer will not be hit for more than $1.7 billion no matter how long the process takes?

NATSIOS: That is our plan and that is our intention. And these figures, outlandish figures I’ve seen, I have to say, there’s a little bit of hoopla involved in this.

NOVEMBER 6, 2003: Bush signs $87 billion supplemental spending bill into law

SEPTEMBER 15, 2004: Bush administration requests that the Senate shift $3.4 billion of the $18.4 billion Iraqi aid package meant for reconstruction work to improving security measures

JANUARY 30, 2005: U.S. loses track of nearly $9 billion in Iraqi funds

The CPA provided less than adequate controls for approximately $8.8 billion of Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) funds provided to Iraqi ministries through the national budget process.

MAY 11, 2005: Bush signs supplemental spending bill, providing nearly $76 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

FEBRUARY 3, 2006: Bush requests additional $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, $120 billion total for 2006

JULY 12, 2006: White House budget document reveals that administration will ask for another $110 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

http://thinkprogress.org/iraq-timeline

[razors edge]

13. well, it ain't like its their money. n/t

[DemoTex]

14. Cash-basis accounting. We are dog-ass broke, folks. Read this:

The following figures appear in the official U.S. Financial Report, released by the Treasury Department:

The true 2005 deficit was $760 billion, not the $318.5 billion Bush reported.
This is 6.2% of the GDP, not 2.6%.
That's $156,000 for every citizen, or $375,000 for every working American.
The true national debt is $49 trillion, not the $8.3 trillion Bush reported.
This figure has more than doubled in the past five years.
We paid $327 billion last year on interest alone.
It's all getting worse. (BuzzFlash book review)

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/alerts/105

Conservatives my ass.

[savemefromdumbya]

15. so our children go without health insurance?

[BootinUp]

16. 469.7 BILLION?

Good lord. What a waste of money.

[davekriss]

17. It'll top a trillion before we finally exit (eom)

[pinniped]

18. Well, I guess that makes it all worth it.

The bill sailed through by a vote of 98-0 after senators added money to help track down al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and fight the opium trade in Afghanistan that is helping fuel the Taliban's resurgence.


Print more money up.

[tuvor]

20. Senate moves to add funds to track bin Laden

CAPITOL HILL The Senate has voted unanimously to devote 200 (m) million dollars to revive a C-I-A unit dedicated to hunting down Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leaders.
The vote came as the Senate nears a final vote on a huge Pentagon budget bill.

The Senate approved the amendment, sponsored by Democrats, by a 96-to-nothing vote. News accounts in July reported that a C-I-A unit dedicated to capturing bin Laden had been disbanded.

The unit, known as Alec Station, was disbanded late last year and its analysts reassigned within the C-I-A Counterterrorist Center.

http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=5380004&nav=0zGo

[Monkeyman]

21. Waste of Money Bush don't want him caught need terror videos

[w4rma]

22. To *revive* the unit Bush killed. (nt)

[leesa]

23. Didn't Goss just say we knew exactly where he was? This is such

shit. More money out the window on a dead guy. Why not spend it to find out who did 9-11?

[Sinti]

24. "Why not spend it to find out who did 9-11?" Maybe they already know n/t

[Earth_First]

25. See Iraq/Afghanistan timeline:

NOVEMBER 6, 2003: Bush signs $87 billion supplemental spending bill into law

SEPTEMBER 15, 2004: Bush administration requests that the Senate shift $3.4 billion of the $18.4 billion Iraqi aid package meant for reconstruction work to improving security measures

JANUARY 30, 2005: U.S. loses track of nearly $9 billion in Iraqi funds

The CPA provided less than adequate controls for approximately $8.8 billion of Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) funds provided to Iraqi ministries through the national budget process.

MAY 11, 2005: Bush signs supplemental spending bill, providing nearly $76 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

FEBRUARY 3, 2006: Bush requests additional $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, $120 billion total for 2006

JULY 12, 2006: White House budget document reveals that administration will ask for another $110 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

http://thinkprogress.org/iraq-timeline

[savemefromdumbya]

26. why all of a sudden? been on the loose for 5 years?

[rodeodance]

27. a headline reflecting the Dems did this would be appropriate.

[EVDebs]

28. Somebody ought to tell him you don't get a CMOH for protecting

treasonous political operatives -- Armitage's 'falling on the grenade' of the Plame Case and 'taking one for the team' aren't going to stop the truth from coming out. The White House was involved in this.

[Pastiche423]

29. Sheesh

How much does it cost to track a grave?