[Peace-discuss] Stop the money for murder

[C. G. Estabrook]

[If there were an actual anti-war movement in this country, it would organize 
against this blood-money.  It should be easy enough to mount campaigns against 
senators and representatives who vote for it. But the effective undermining of 
democracy, primarily by self-described liberals, seems to have prevented that, 
at least for the moment.  But beware the frumious Populism.  --CGE]

	Obama seeks $83.4 billion in special war money
	By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
	Thu Apr 9, 7:59 pm ET

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama asked Congress on Thursday for $83.4 billion 
for U.S. military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pressing 
for special troop funding that he opposed two years ago when he was senator and 
George W. Bush was president.

Obama's request, including money to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, 
would push the costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion since the Sept. 11, 
2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The 
additional money would cover operations into the fall.

Obama is also requesting $350 million in new funding to upgrade security along 
the U.S.-Mexico border and to combat narcoterrorists, along with another $400 
million in counterinsurgency aid to Pakistan.

"Nearly 95 percent of these funds will be used to support our men and women in 
uniform as they help the people of Iraq to take responsibility for their own 
future — and work to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and 
Afghanistan," Obama wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that Obama has been 
critical of Bush's use of similar special legislation to pay for the wars. He 
said it was needed this time because the money will be required by summer, 
before Congress is likely to complete its normal appropriations process.

"This will be the last supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan. The process by 
which this has been funded over the course of the past many years, the president 
has discussed and will change," Gibbs said.

In a statement, Pelosi said Congress would carefully review Obama's request and 
"engage in a dialogue with the administration on appropriate benchmarks to 
measure the success of our investments."

Last June, Congress approved $66 billion in advance 2009 funding for military 
operations. All told, the Pentagon would receive $142 billion in war funding for 
the budget year ending on Sept. 30.

The request is likely to win easy approval from the Democratic-controlled 
Congress, despite frustration among some liberals over the pace of troop 
withdrawals and Obama's plans for a large residual force of up to 50,000 troops 
— about one-third of the force now there — who will train Iraqis, protect U.S. 
assets and personnel and conduct anti-terror operations.

The official request was sent early Thursday evening.

The request would fund an average force level in Iraq of 140,000 U.S. troops. It 
would also finance Obama's initiative to boost troop levels in Afghanistan to 
more than 60,000 from the current 39,000. And it would provide $2.2 billion to 
accelerate the Pentagon's plans to increase the overall size of the U.S. 
military, including a 547,400-person active-duty Army.

Some Democrats were not pleased.

"This funding will do two things — it will prolong our occupation of Iraq 
through at least the end of 2011, and it will deepen and expand our military 
presence in Afghanistan indefinitely," said anti-war Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. 
"Instead of attempting to find military solutions to the problems we face in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, President Obama must fundamentally change the mission in 
both countries to focus on promoting reconciliation, economic development, 
humanitarian aid, and regional diplomatic efforts."

But House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio predicted that Republicans would 
overwhelmingly support the request, provided congressional Democrats don't seek 
to "micromanage" the war by adding a timeline or other restrictions on the 
ability of military officials to carry on the fight.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration, said, 
"The reality is the alternative to the supplemental is a sudden and precipitous 
withdrawal of the United States from both places, and I don't know anybody who 
thinks that's a good idea." He said, "The reality is it would put everything we 
have achieved in Iraq at tremendous risk, and I believe it would greatly 
endanger our troops."

Obama was a harsh critic of the Iraq war as a presidential candidate, a stance 
that attracted support from the Democratic Party's liberal base and helped him 
secure his party's nomination. He opposed an infusion of war funding in 2007 
after Bush used a veto to force Congress to remove a withdrawal timeline from 
the $99 billion measure.

But he supported a war funding bill last year that also included about $25 
billion for domestic programs. Obama also voted for war funding in 2006, before 
he announced his candidacy for president.

The request includes $75.8 billion for the military and more than $7 billion in 
foreign aid. Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against al-Qaida, will receive 
$400 million in aid to combat insurgents.

The upcoming debate in Congress is likely to provide an early test of Obama's 
efforts to remake the Pentagon and its much-criticized weapons procurement 
system. He is requesting four F-22 fighter jets costing about $600 million as 
part of the war funding package but wants to shut the F-22 program down after that.

Included in the special measure is $400 million for the first installment of a 
new program to train and equip Pakistan's military. The Associated Press 
reported last week that the program would total as much as $3 billion over the 
next five years and would include money for helicopters, night-vision goggles 
and communications equipment.

Distribution of the funding will be controlled by the military and will be 
tightly focused on improving the ability of Pakistan's military, including its 
Frontier Corps, to better fight insurgents hiding in safe havens along the 
border. It also will allow commanders to provide humanitarian relief to people 
affected by military operations.

The funding measure would include $3.6 billion for the Afghanistan National Army.

Obama is also seeking $30 million in Justice Department funding to implement the 
shut down of the facility in Guantanamo Bay holding enemy combatants.
Poor countries would receive $448 million to help them deal with the global 
financial crisis.

The White House wants the bill for the president's signature by Memorial Day, 
said a House Democratic aide.

Obama warned lawmakers not to succumb to the temptation to use the must-pass war 
funding bill as a vehicle for other spending.

"I want the Congress to send me a focused bill, and to do so quickly," he wrote.
Obama announced plans in February to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq on a 
19-month timetable.

His new request would push the war and diplomatic money approved for 2009 to 
about $150 billion. The totals were $171 billion for 2007 and $188 billion for 
2008, the year Bush increased the tempo of military operations in a generally 
successful effort to quell the Iraq insurgency.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090409/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_war_costs