Iraq war bill deletes US military base prohibition

[whometense]

From the Friday doc dump:

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-06-09T205941Z_01_N09199214_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-CONGRESS-FUNDING.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2

I imagine Kerry will have something to say about this.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Republicans killed a provision in an Iraq war funding bill that would have put the United States on record against the permanent basing of U.S. military facilities in that country, a lawmaker and congressional aides said on Friday.

The $94.5 billion emergency spending bill, which includes $65.8 billion to continue waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to be approved by Congress next week and sent to President George W. Bush for signing into law.

As originally passed by the House of Representatives, the Pentagon would have been prohibited from spending any of the funds for entering into a military basing rights agreement with Iraq.

A similar amendment passed by the Senate said the Pentagon could not use the next round of war funding to "establish permanent United States military bases in Iraq, or to exercise United States control over the oil infrastructure or oil resources of Iraq."

The Bush administration has said it does not want to place any artificial timelines on a U.S. presence in Iraq and that it wants to begin withdrawing troops when Iraqi security forces are better able to protect the country. But it has not ruled out permanent bases in Iraq...

sonofabitch.

[beachmom]

1. Actually, that's good to know

"That it has not ruled out permanent bases". We need to know that. Stop dancing around it, and tell the truth, Mr. President. God, just when I think Iraq is too complicated to understand . . . it gets even MORE complicated. You know, we just don't have time to be fending off imperialism. Let's just, you know, stop the civil war, get the Iraqi government going, get the Iraqis trained, and then get the hell outa there.

[whometense]

7. Wrote a blog post

about this yesterday, prompted by an email from Greg Palast: http://toughenough.org/2006/06/no-matter-what-your-opinion-is.html

Is anyone else suffering form the same reaction to all this as I am? It's a kind of intellectual fretfulness. I've actually had a form of this since the 2000 election - my fear of Bush was strong even then, and ever since it's like helplessly watching this endless row of giant dominoes falling, and there's nothing I can do to stop them. I can't stand to pay attention, and I can't stop paying attention.

[ProSense]

2. That means

Condoleeza lied, again!

KERRY: Our position is, when we leave, we won't leave any bases there.

I wrote to General Pace to follow up on this, and General Pace wrote me back and said: "At present, the Department of Defense has no plans for the permanent basing of U.S. forces in Iraq."

This has long been an issue of contention.

So, you know, General Casey has said, "The sense of American occupation is part of what feeds the insurgency."

The administration, however, has never formally said, "We're not going to have permanent bases."

So I would ask you today: Is it, in fact, the policy of this administration not to have permanent basing in Iraq?

RICE: I think General Pace has spoken to that, Senator, and he speaks for the administration.

Senator, our job now is to use our forces to help the Iraqis gain control of their own security environment, to train their forces to protect our people who need to go out in the field to be a presence outside of Baghdad.

That is the purpose of our forces.

As the president said, we don't want to be there one day longer than we need to be.

KERRY: I understand that, and we all want that transition. I'm just trying to figure out what the long term is, because I don't think the administration has actually said that before with clarity.

So if you're affirming today what the generals have said as the policy, that's a step forward.

RICE: Well, Senator, I think General Pace has spoken to this.

Oh this is posted in GD-P, but of course it's sinking:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2671381&mesg_id=2671381

[_dynamicdems]

3. Ms. Mushroom Cloud doesn't know how to tell the truth.

She's lied to us from the beginning. I think it's in her job description. Here's a great description our "Secretary of Fibs."

TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES WITH CONDOLEEZZA RICE
by Randolph T. Holhut - American Reporter Correspondent


DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- What does evil look like?

She wears a black designer suit and is trailed by a gaggle of aides and security personnel.

She doesn't enter a room until the bomb-sniffing dog has made a pass and the guys with the nice suits and earpieces know exactly who is inside waiting.

She keeps a tight schedule, and doesn't linger in the room any longer than necessary.

She recites the talking points and doesn't allow you to get a word in edgewise.

She invites you to come to one of the fanciest hotels in the world on a Sunday afternoon to get lied to.

cont. http://www.american-reporter.com/2,916W/21.html

[ginnyinWI]

4. I kicked it for ya.

I can't listen to Condi--why waste the time listening to a known liar.

[ProSense]

6. Thanks! Yup, that's

Cantbelieverher Lies:

blah blah blah...

[beachmom]

5. But look at how she talks. She would never be nailed for perjury

for what she said.

All she says is:

As the president said, we don't want to be there one day longer than we need to be.

Well, THAT'S full of loop holes. They can keep coming up with excuses for staying.

Well, Senator, I think General Pace has spoken to this.

So she can just pin it on the Generals, and say she misunderstood them.


No. I think those are dancing around answers, and were completely unsatisfactory at the time. This article posted by Whometense merely advances what we suspected to the next step, which is that it "hasn't been ruled out". Clever girl, that Condi, speaking that double speak. But I suppose that depends on what the meaning of "is" is.

[whometense]

8. Liberal Oasis has this today:

What part of NO! does a conference committee not understand?

Just in case anyone missed this story from the Friday Doc Dump, here it is again, via Liberal Oasis.

The provision banning money for permanent bases was included in both the House and Senate versions of the latest Iraq spending bill. Yet it was stripped out in House-Senate conference.

You may recall that in March and May, LiberalOasis anticipated this exact development.

This is not something Democrats should let Republicans get away with burying on a Friday afternoon. This should be screamed from the mountain tops

Because it shows the fundamental difference between the parties. Democrats believe we should eventually leave Iraq. Republicans don't.

More at Think Progress.

[ProSense]

9. Cool post! Thanks! n/t