[Peace-discuss] All Senate Dems Vote for War (fwd)

[C. G. Estabrook]

[The Democrats will save us, right? In the Senate yesterday, all the
Senate Dems voted for war.  Funding for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan
and COLOMBIA passed unanimously, 97-0. Improvements in health care for
veterans were rejected unanimously. Vicious bastards. --CGE]

Senate passes $447 billion defense bill with only part of money for wars

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate passed a massive defense spending bill that,
at $447 billion, still only covers a fraction of war costs in Iraq and
Afghanistan.

The vote Wednesday night capped weeks of wrangling over missile defense,
the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal and numerous other proposed amendments.

The bill, which now must be reconciled with a similar House bill passed a
month ago, includes a military pay raise, an increase in the size of the
Army and billions of dollars for weapons systems.

Lawmakers voted 97-0 shortly before midnight on the bill, which authorizes
Pentagon and Energy Department defense programs for the budget year that
begins in October.

The measure includes $25 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But
the Bush administration plans to submit a supplemental budget at the start
of the next calendar year, after November's election, that is expected to
seek at least an additional $25 billion for the two ongoing military
campaigns.

Defying the White House and Pentagon, senators also included a provision
to add 20,000 troops to an Army stretched thin by the war in Iraq, the
global war on terror and other commitments around the world.

Lawmakers have for months heard complaints from families of service men
and women who have served repeated deployments or been forced to remain on
duty after their obligation has ended under a Pentagon device called
''stop-loss.''

The Senate bill would increase the Army by about 4 percent, to 502,400.
The House version would add 30,000 Army soldiers and 9,000 Marines over
three years.

The House also would delay for two years the next round of military base
closures, set to take place next year. But, generally, the Senate
authorization bill mirrors the House version, for instance also including
an across-the-board 3.5 percent pay raise for military personnel and
higher danger pay.

It authorizes $10.2 billion for a missile defense system and billions more
for such programs as the F/A-22 Raptor aircraft, Joint Strike Fighter and
DD(X) destroyer program.

Senators passed an amendment earlier Wednesday requiring President Bush to
report to the Republican-controlled Congress on his efforts to stabilize
Iraq. But they rejected one that would have forced him to give an estimate
of how many American troops will remain in the violence-plagued country a
year from now.

Drawing out the deliberations Wednesday was a heated debate over the
growing Iraq prisoner abuse scandal, as Democrats pushed for an amendment
requiring the administration to hand over memos on prisoner treatment and
interrogations.

In the end, Republicans defeated a measure that would have declared all
U.S. officials bound by anti-torture laws and required Pentagon reports on
interrogation techniques, the number of detainees denied POW status, Red
Cross findings on U.S. military prisons and a schedule for trying terror
suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Republican-controlled chamber also rejected:

-A plan to extend prescription drug and health services to all veterans
that lawmakers said would have cost $300 billion over 10 years.

-A proposal that National Guard and reservists become eligible for
retirement benefits at age 55 instead of 60.

-A proposal to limit the growth of U.S. military and civilian contractors
helping Colombia fight its drug war. Opponents said the full increase from
400 to 800 troops and 400 to 600 civilians was needed to keep up progress
in the war, which also fights narco-terrorism.

While Wednesday's action authorized the defense programs, senators now
must approve an appropriations bill to actually give the administration
the money.

The House on Tuesday approved a $417 billion defense appropriations bill
covering only the Defense Department programs. The Senate Appropriations
Committee on Tuesday approved a similar $416 billion defense spending
measure.

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