Led by Rep. John Murtha, House Democrats on the powerful Appropriations Committee took the first serious steps towards reining in George Bush's failed war in Iraq -- four years after Bush launched the war:
On a mostly partisan 36-28 vote, the House Appropriations Committee approved a $124.1 billion emergency spending bill, including $95.5 billion to continue fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year.Murtha is real trouble for the Bush Administration. He knows the military. He channels the military. When Murtha speaks, he does so with unparalleled authority.
The legislation, which could be debated in the full House as early as next week, would set strict conditions on continuing the Iraq war for the next 18 months and would end U.S. combat there by September 1, 2008.
The White House has threatened a presidential veto of the measure, which first faces tough going in the Senate.
This attempt to curtail Bush's war happened on a day when word leaked out that the escalation is expanding. In fact, there are thousands and thousands more soldiers committed to the surge than what Bush told the nation in January.
Bush's response is perfunctory of course. He does what he always does. He questions the motives and commitment of his opponents.
"Some in the Congress are using this bill as an opportunity to micromanage our military commanders or to force a precipitous withdrawal in Iraq," President George W. Bush said at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner.Some in the Congress are just trying to get some management of the war. It's a disaster. A disaster. We're stuck in the middle of a civil war.
"I believe the members of Congress are sincere when they say they support the troops, and now is the time for them to show that support," Bush said.
And, there Bush goes again, invoking his "support the troops" mantra when all the evidence shows that, in fact, he doesn't. The troops will be well served when this country has a policy in place to get them out of the civil war in Iraq.
