KashifAsrar
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2006
- Messages
- 1,008
- Reaction score
- 0
The news in today's ToI, dated 26May 2007.
Kashif
Congress OKs $120B Funding For Iraq, Afghan Campaign
Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN
Washington: A Democrat-controlled US Congress reluctantly approved nearly $120 billion in funding for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan after being bullied by an administration that said the troops would run out of bullets and food within days.
Although they came to power on a strong anti-war platform, many Democrats backed down in the face of stigma they feared inviting, had they cut funding. After an agonising debate, the party dropped its insistence on a timeline for troop withdrawal, and nearly a third of Democrats joined a majority of the Republicans in the House to hand the White House a 280-142 victory on Thursday.
Hours later, the Senate voted 80-14 vote to send the legislation to the president, with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both voting against it, evidently with an eye on their campaign. Anti-war groups that backed Democrats in last Novemberâs election pilloried what they saw as a sellout. Democrats who voted for funding argued, feebly, that they had set strict bench-marks to measure the progress in the war.
One Republican leader wept in the House at the very thought of cutting funds for troops in the middle of a war.
Lawmakers approved the Bill just before Memorial Day this weekend, when the nation commemorates its fallen in various wars. The latest installment, which will fund the war till September before Congress revisits the issue, brings the total spent on the conflict to $ 565 billion since 2001.
The passage of the bill ended a four month struggle between the Bush White House and the Democratic Congress even as funds for the war began running low.
The bill was passed even as US soldiers continue to die in a wars that the majority of American public is now opposed to, and has come to realise is based on faulty and deceptive premises.
However, in a White House press conference on Thursday, President Bush warned that the number of US casualties, now standing at more than 3420, could continue to rise sharply in the next few months as US troops moved into the bloodiest areas of Baghdad, such as Sadr City. âIt could be a bloody â it could be a very difficult August,â he said.
At the same time, Bush also indicated that Washington was giving up hopes of an outright military victory and was looking at other diplomatic moves to extricate US from the situation.
One such initiative comes from the Baker-Hamilton report, which recommends a regional diplomatic offensive, including talks with Iran, aimed at stabilising the situation.
US Congress bows to Bush on Iraq Bill
OKs $100 Billion To Keep Fighting The War In Iraq
Washington: A divided US Congress on Thursday approved $100 billion to keep fighting the war in Iraq, as Democrats pledged to resurrect failed attempts to force President George Bush to withdraw troops.
Passage of the legislation capped a fourmonth struggle between Bush and the new Democratic-led Congress over the increasingly unpopular Iraq war, now in its fifth year.
Underscoring Democratic division, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California voted against it and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada voted for it.
Three Democratic senators running for president â Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut â providing money with no withdrawal deadlines. Joseph Biden of Delaware, also a presidential hopeful, voted yes.
With this latest installment, the United States will have allocated more than $565 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, according to the Congressional Research Service. Most of the money has gone to fight in Iraq.
Bush pleaded for patience but warned of more tough times ahead. âIt could be a bloody â it could be a very difficult August,â he told reporters at the White House.
He also made clear September would be an important period, when the US commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, will report on the impact of the troop buildup and make a recommendation on how to proceed.
The House voted 280-142 for the emergency funding bill, while the Senate passed it 80-14.
White House spokesman Alex Conant said Congress should be congratulated for providing US troops with the funding and flexibility they need. âRather than mandate arbitrary timetables for military operations, the legislation enables our servicemen and women to follow the advice of commanders on the ground,â Conant said. On May 1, Bush vetoed a Democratic bill that would have begun withdrawing US soldiers from Iraq by October 1 and Democrats did not have the votes to reverse him.
Lawmakers approved the revamped bill just before leaving for a long Memorial Day recess as war funds were running out.
The Republican president is expected to promptly sign into law the bill. REUTERS
76% Americans say things going badly in Iraq: Poll
Americans now view the war in Iraq more negatively than at any time since the invasion more than four years ago, according to a new poll. Sixty-one per cent of Americans say the US should have stayed out of Iraq and 76% say things are going badly there, including 47% who say things are going very badly, the New York Times/CBS news poll said. Still, the majority of Americans support continuing to finance the war as long as the Iraqi government meets specific goals. President Bushâs approval ratings remain near the lowest of his more than six years in office. Thirty percent approve of the job he is doing over all, while 63% disapprove. As for Bush, only 23% approve of his handling of the situation in Iraq. More Americans â 72% â now say that âgenerally things in the country are seriously off on the wrong track than at any other time since the poll began asking the question in 1983.â PTI
Kashif
Bush manages to get Dems to foot war bill
Congress OKs $120B Funding For Iraq, Afghan Campaign
Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN
Washington: A Democrat-controlled US Congress reluctantly approved nearly $120 billion in funding for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan after being bullied by an administration that said the troops would run out of bullets and food within days.
Although they came to power on a strong anti-war platform, many Democrats backed down in the face of stigma they feared inviting, had they cut funding. After an agonising debate, the party dropped its insistence on a timeline for troop withdrawal, and nearly a third of Democrats joined a majority of the Republicans in the House to hand the White House a 280-142 victory on Thursday.
Hours later, the Senate voted 80-14 vote to send the legislation to the president, with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both voting against it, evidently with an eye on their campaign. Anti-war groups that backed Democrats in last Novemberâs election pilloried what they saw as a sellout. Democrats who voted for funding argued, feebly, that they had set strict bench-marks to measure the progress in the war.
One Republican leader wept in the House at the very thought of cutting funds for troops in the middle of a war.
Lawmakers approved the Bill just before Memorial Day this weekend, when the nation commemorates its fallen in various wars. The latest installment, which will fund the war till September before Congress revisits the issue, brings the total spent on the conflict to $ 565 billion since 2001.
The passage of the bill ended a four month struggle between the Bush White House and the Democratic Congress even as funds for the war began running low.
The bill was passed even as US soldiers continue to die in a wars that the majority of American public is now opposed to, and has come to realise is based on faulty and deceptive premises.
However, in a White House press conference on Thursday, President Bush warned that the number of US casualties, now standing at more than 3420, could continue to rise sharply in the next few months as US troops moved into the bloodiest areas of Baghdad, such as Sadr City. âIt could be a bloody â it could be a very difficult August,â he said.
At the same time, Bush also indicated that Washington was giving up hopes of an outright military victory and was looking at other diplomatic moves to extricate US from the situation.
One such initiative comes from the Baker-Hamilton report, which recommends a regional diplomatic offensive, including talks with Iran, aimed at stabilising the situation.
US Congress bows to Bush on Iraq Bill
OKs $100 Billion To Keep Fighting The War In Iraq
Washington: A divided US Congress on Thursday approved $100 billion to keep fighting the war in Iraq, as Democrats pledged to resurrect failed attempts to force President George Bush to withdraw troops.
Passage of the legislation capped a fourmonth struggle between Bush and the new Democratic-led Congress over the increasingly unpopular Iraq war, now in its fifth year.
Underscoring Democratic division, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California voted against it and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada voted for it.
Three Democratic senators running for president â Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut â providing money with no withdrawal deadlines. Joseph Biden of Delaware, also a presidential hopeful, voted yes.
With this latest installment, the United States will have allocated more than $565 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, according to the Congressional Research Service. Most of the money has gone to fight in Iraq.
Bush pleaded for patience but warned of more tough times ahead. âIt could be a bloody â it could be a very difficult August,â he told reporters at the White House.
He also made clear September would be an important period, when the US commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, will report on the impact of the troop buildup and make a recommendation on how to proceed.
The House voted 280-142 for the emergency funding bill, while the Senate passed it 80-14.
White House spokesman Alex Conant said Congress should be congratulated for providing US troops with the funding and flexibility they need. âRather than mandate arbitrary timetables for military operations, the legislation enables our servicemen and women to follow the advice of commanders on the ground,â Conant said. On May 1, Bush vetoed a Democratic bill that would have begun withdrawing US soldiers from Iraq by October 1 and Democrats did not have the votes to reverse him.
Lawmakers approved the revamped bill just before leaving for a long Memorial Day recess as war funds were running out.
The Republican president is expected to promptly sign into law the bill. REUTERS
76% Americans say things going badly in Iraq: Poll
Americans now view the war in Iraq more negatively than at any time since the invasion more than four years ago, according to a new poll. Sixty-one per cent of Americans say the US should have stayed out of Iraq and 76% say things are going badly there, including 47% who say things are going very badly, the New York Times/CBS news poll said. Still, the majority of Americans support continuing to finance the war as long as the Iraqi government meets specific goals. President Bushâs approval ratings remain near the lowest of his more than six years in office. Thirty percent approve of the job he is doing over all, while 63% disapprove. As for Bush, only 23% approve of his handling of the situation in Iraq. More Americans â 72% â now say that âgenerally things in the country are seriously off on the wrong track than at any other time since the poll began asking the question in 1983.â PTI
