Murtha: No Surge For Bush

[Bucky]

Murtha- No Surge For Bush

In the first really bold move of the new Congress, Jack Murtha told Arianna Huffington in an interview published today that he plans to block Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq by refusing to fund a so-called "surge" of additional troops.

From Arianna's interview:

When we asked about the likelihood of the president sending additional troops to Iraq, Murtha was adamant. "The only way you can have a troop surge," he told us, "is to extend the tours of people whose tours have already been extended, or to send back people who have just gotten back home." He explained at length how our military forces are already stretched to the breaking point, with our strategic reserve so depleted we are unprepared to face any additional threats to the country. So does that mean there will be no surge? Murtha offered us a "with Bush anything is possible" look, then said: "Money is the only way we can stop it for sure."

He says he wants to "fence the funding," denying the president the resources to escalate the war, instead using the money to take care of the soldiers as we bring them home from Iraq "as soon as we can."

As chairman of the powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Murtha has power over the war purse. He's right: the only way to prevent a surge is to refuse to fund it. And the only surefire way to end the war starts with blocking the $100 billion supplemental bill President Bush plans to hand the Congress soon. Many Democrats have been reluctant to pursue such an approach. Maybe Murtha's latest statement--like his dramatic call for redeployment in November 2005--will wake up his party.

Note: for argument's sake, remember... This is not cutting funding to the troops. Don't let anyone spin this. This is cutting only the allocation to send exhausted and undertrained troops into the meat grinder where their fatigue and stress levels could needlessly jeopardize their lives and the lives of the civilians they're there to protect. Exhausted and overburdened troops make mistakes... the kind of mistakes you don't want guys who carry automatic rifles making.

[MrCoffee]

1. You want surge? Come back one year!

[snowbear]

5. OMG, Mr. Coffee.... too funny!!!

"No Surge for You!"

[Greeby]

2. When the "Defense" bill stands at half a trillion

And soldiers' families have to hold bake sales for body armour, the scam of the Military Industrial-Complex becomes plain to see

[Raster]

13. No fucking shit!!! I look forward to the day when schools have plenty of money

and the fucking pentagon has to hold bake sales to fund their war-mongering bullshit.

[patrice]

3. We Are going to Surge on Washington!

[Bitwit1234]

4. Funds can't be cut for the troops already

there. Remember they were talking about that. The funds were approved in the 2007 budget part that was passed.

[haele]

14. The Pentagon has to play with the budget it has...

Not with the budget the Administration wishes it had... ;)

There's more than enough money to fund what needs to be funded for ACTUAL DEFENSE and personnel support. Especially if they cut the spigot on the world of waste, fraud and abuse that is "no bid contracts" for Carlysle companies and funding the Iraqi mafia.

F'n NeoCon weenies...

Haele

[tnlefty]

6. Good for him! Off topic: he looked great today!

No escalation and hang tough Rep. Murtha.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. That's the same thing Dennis said.

Stop funding the war; that's the only way to stop it.

[stevedeshazer]

8. Your take on the RW spin is spot on

That's exactly what they'll do, because it's the only arrow in the neocon quiver.

Limbaugh and Hannity and the rest of that chickenhawk crowd will be pre-bashing the Dems for "not funding the troops".

Fence the funding...I like it but I don't think it'll fend off the Bush boot-lickers, even though the majority have turned on the Decider.

[Possumpoint]

9. Fence the Funds

Are you sure that will work. What's to stop him from redirecting existing funds in DOD to this purpose. I think this could get very interesting. There would have be legislation put in place dictating how funds were to be spent and even with that they might declare it to be a state of emergency and ignore the law.

[stevedeshazer]

11. Yeah, I agree

They'll ignore the law. They have for six years.

The question is, what will Congress do when the Bushies continue this behavior?

Will some more Republicans oppose Bush?

[wryter2000]

17. Welcome to DU

:hi:

This is something I also worry about. I'm afraid Bush is so out of touch with reality and so utterly devoid of caring for anyone else in the world, that he'll find a way to have his escalation, anyway. With a rational President, I'd say that cutting funding for the war is the way to go. With this nutcase, I'm afraid he'll have his war and escalation in an even more ass-backward way than he's having it now, and all our soldiers will suffer even worse things than they already are.

[gratuitous]

18. Except for one minor difference between then and now

I'm guessing that Congress will be a tad more active in holding the administration accountable, questioning or stopping extra-constitutional exercises of executive power, and requiring that the laws Congress passes (like the budget and its allocation) to be followed.

I could be wrong again, but something tells me that the Bush administration's free rein in stomping all over the law might be drawing to an end.

[mmonk]

10. No surge mr. bush

[Tom Joad]

12. The funding for this illegal war should be shut down. Only way to end it.

[porphyrian]

15. I'll kick that. - n/t

[Phrogman]

16. Forget the "fatigue and stress" levels, just being in Iraq needlessly..

jeopardizes their lives.

[jwirr]

19. One way that he can fence in the money is to close Social Security

and other funds immediately. The other is to make it a crime to use funds for this illegal war unless they are used to bring troops home. This should be only for transport of troops out of the area.

[IWantAChange]

20. Murtha is the perfect DEM to lead this fight in appropriations.

Having survived the swiftboaters and smear campaigns he's full of piss and vinegar and ready to take em' on!! Finally the troops have a true friend and ally in a position of power.

[meowski]

21. Murtha's wife

Is Murtha's wife named Martha? Then she can be Martha Murtha.

[Kurovski]

22. If Rush Limbaugh marries George Bush...

(and you KNOW he WANTS to) He'll be Rush Bush.