Pelosi: Dems will not cut off Iraq funding

[sabra]

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/01/pelosi-dems-will-not-cut-off-iraq.html

Pelosi: Dems will not cut off Iraq funding

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday Democrats will not cut off funding for the war in Iraq, despite indicating earlier that she will not give President Bush a "blank check" to fund a U.S. troop surge in the war-torn country.

"I'm going to be very clear: Democrats will not cut off funding for our troops," Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill. "But the president needs to know -- and that's what I was telling him yesterday -- ... that congressional oversight is alive and well."

On CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Pelosi said, "If the president wants to add to this mission, he is going to have to justify it. And this is new for him because up until now the Republican Congress has given him a blank check with no oversight, no standards, no conditions."

[iconoclastic cat]

1. Well, obviously they can't. nt

[maryallen]

26. B.S .... They CAN and they SHOULD!

Who are you working for, Pelosi?
The people or the corporations?

Showtime is OVER.
It's time to roll up your sleeves and do the job you were elected to do.

Get the troops out this ILLEGAL and IMMORAL WAR NOW!!!

[iconoclastic cat]

28. They cannot cut off the money. They can only cut off increases.

Or so I've read.

[goforit]

29. The American people can and will!!!

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

2. "If the president wants to CONTINUE this mission..

[BayCityProgressive]

3. Well she is an

idiot then. Or an enabler. Either way...

[stansnark]

4. or a typical democrat

how'd you like to have her as your lawyer negotiating a plea-bargain for you ?

[BayCityProgressive]

5. If they

continue funding this murder they can watch my vote and many others go to Left wing parties in 08. If they dont get us out of this mess they are of no use to me.

[stansnark]

AMEN nt

[ShortnFiery]

18. You have a witness, AMEN! No more abuse and empty promises. n/t

[bullimiami]

7. im afraid these democrats are going to be just a small improvement.

better? yes.
sane? closer to being.

but they are not going to either cut off funds and stop this mad, illegal and immoral war or impeach or prosecute this criminal republican gang.

they will, i suppose, slow the bleeding, and that will have to be good enough I guess.

[Totallybushed]

9. You got that right!!

What did the people elect her and her cronies for, anyway?

[anitar1]

6. Does anyone really think anything will happen ?

No--I doubt it.For instance -, I read an article by Sirota today. At the Dems big party there were 200 lobbyists in attendance. Same old stuff continues . If they wanted real ethics, they would pass a bill for campaign reform. Then there would be no need for lobbyists and other parasites.

[Union Thug]

8. I had high hopes for you, Nancy. I'm still hopeful, but I'm getting discouraged. n/t

[BlueStater]

10. Nancy was elected to do everything in her power to end this stupid war

She'd better not forget that or she'll find herself out of a job come 2009.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zuiderelle]

12. Giving Bush a "blank check" and not cutting off funding are not the same thing.

At all. You can't shoot a horse and then walk away expecting it to heal itself. I don't see how anything she said now conflicts with her having said she won't give him a blank check.

[hang a left]

13. Avoid the headline and look at the quote....

"I'm going to be very clear: Democrats will not cut off funding for our troops," Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill.



Isn't that what she said yesterday. She will not cut off funding for our troops that are already in Iraq on the ground. She has stated she will not authorize funds for the "surge".

I am on the wait and see program before I pass judgement here.

[rodeodance]

14. it is good she did this- NOT supporting the troops is already

the R. rally call

[stansnark]

19. how is leaving them to get

killed and maimed in iraq supporting them ? what was michael moore's line from F911 ? about these kids being willing to be put in harm's way and even sacrificing their lives if need be for their country and asking only one thing in return ?

[stansnark]

15. meet the new boss ...

maybe we need to re-think 2000. what if everyone that voted for gore had voted for nader instead ? its just as legitimate a question as the other way around.

[dmallind]

24. No it isn't

How can changing the minds of 48% of the voters be as legitimate a question as changing 2%? That's like saying it's just as legitimate for the marketing division of some tiny local microbrewery to aim to persuade ALL Bud drinkers to buy their brand as it it is for AB marketers to target microbrew drinkers.

Meanwhile what do you think would happen if Congress DID defund starting tomorrow? Do you all honestly think Bush would say "Oh well I'll pull all the troops out within 24 hours, sorry about that whole war thing" or would he drag out the withdrawal as long as he could and gleefully blame every single casualty during the pullout on the Dems not funding the safety and welfare of our troops in harm's way? The great majority would buy the rhetoric, which would be trumpeted by every RW media mouthpiece nonstop, and Dems would be both blamed and punished for decades to come. We're still fighting the weak on defense crap from Vietnam for pete's sake - you want to extend it another 30 years or more? You can't defund a military operation with soldiers in the line of fire - it's NOT the moral choice at all as it would cause MORE fatalities. Anyone who thinks Rove is above making sure a lot of troops die in a slow botched withdrawal so he can lay the blame at the feet of the Dems has not been paying attention the last few years. Do you think defunding means immediately mobilizing every C-130 round the clock starting now until they are all home? The President controls troop movements and he's killing enough people as it is - heaven help the poor damn soldiers if he thinks he can offload the blame by doing an even more horseshit job of managing the endgame. Immediate defunding is literally and politically suicide.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. It reads to me as if she's saying he's not going to get funding for an escalation

Not without damn good proof that it will work. However, they don't plan on cutting off funding to those troops who are already stationed there.

[NYC Liberal]

17. FUD. She is saying they won't cut funding for troops already there,

and that Bush is not getting a BLANK CHECK. In other words, he's going to have to make a REAL CASE before he gets more money. He won't be able to just get xxx billion dollars to do whatever he wants.

So Thursday-Friday were "Love Nancy" days, today must be a "Nancy is a pro-war tool" day. :eyes:

[MadHound]

20. Impeachment is off the table, cutting the funding for the war is off the table

Well, then let's see what the hell is on the table. More of the same ol' same ol' apparently. The Democrats were elected into power in order to put a halt to this goddamn, illegal, immoral war. Not to "surge" it, not to keep it simmering at the current level, but to end the damn thing and bring the troops home NOW.

Yet instead of listening to their constituents, the Dems are listening to their campaign managers, the lobbyists, anybody and everybody except the ones that they're supposed to listen to, we the people.

This is it, this is the final straw. If the troops aren't home by '08, my vote, and frankly every vote I can influence will not go to Democratic candidates. I am tired of being taken for granted, I'm tired of the lesser of two evils, I'm tired of the two party/same corporate master system of government, and most of all I'm tired of the needless, illegal, immoral killing that is being carried on in my name. If the Democrats do not end this war now that they are in power, then in my eyes they are as complacent as Bushco, and blood is on their hands.

[partylessinOhio]

21. Gavel Lady doesn't speak for me. She is enabling *. Cut the crap already.

The two priorities for this Congress are to stop the war and impeach Bush before he widens his insanity to other invasions.

I thought Gavel Lady would be a disappointment and still do. She had better get a grip and do it fast or she will become the last Gavel Lady.

[ShortnFiery]

23. More Pink TuTus! They are all the same ... waltz while they SCREW the average American.

Damn their deceit!

We elected them to end this war and help bring up the working and middle classes.

DO YOUR JOBS OR YOU'RE OUT IN 2008!!!

[stansnark]

22. then how about cutting off funding because it is fiscal insanity ?

[BayCityProgressive]

25. Dems and Reps

say we don't have money to fund single payer healthcare but apparently they have trillions to spend murdering people and stealing resources. Shows you who their true masters really are!

[earth mom]

27. Okay, now I am really pissed off!

I've purposely stayed away from DU lately, because it's all so f*cking depressing. However, I had a tiny bit of hope that the dems would do something! But hell NO! They cave at every turn and now are back peddling! It was bad enough that they said they aren't going to Impeach even when the people who voted for them are telling them that's what they want! :argh:

Seriously, like :wtf:

Meanwhile, DUers on other threads are whining and complaining that DUers aren't supporting the dems in office! Sorry, but I don't see dems, I see shills on both sides of the aisle working for their corporate masters!

God damnit, I am getting more ticked off by the minute with this B.S.!

:rant: