[Peace-discuss] Will House Dems Oppose a Jobless War Supplemental?

[Robert Naiman]

The war supplemental for Afghanistan is expected to come back from the
Senate to the House next week - without any kind of timetable for
military withdrawal from Afghanistan, and without money to save
teachers' jobs attached.

Labor unions had strongly backed the House Democratic effort to attach
money to the supplemental to boost employment and avoid teacher
layoffs. Will these unions now urge House Democrats to vote no on any
jobless war supplemental?

Few expect that the House, in a freestanding vote next week, would
reject the $33 billion request for the Afghanistan war, since until
now there has been a solid block of more than 90% of House Republicans
committed to voting yes on what they would consider a "relatively
clean" war supplemental.

But what is in serious dispute is how many House Democrats will vote
no on a jobless war supplemental. A large Democratic no vote would
send a strong signal to the White House of House Democratic impatience
with a blank checkbook for endless and fruitless war while it is
claimed that there is no money to save jobs at home, at a time of
nearly 10% measured unemployment. A large Democratic no vote would
also send a strong signal of Democratic "no confidence" in the
Pentagon's war plans, increasing pressure on the Administration to
vigorously pursue a political resolution to the conflict and to
establish a timetable for military withdrawal - as desired by the
majority of Americans and three-quarters of Democrats, according to a
recent CBS poll.

[...]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/will-house-dems-oppose-a_b_657517.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/7/23/153544/037

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/656

--
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

Urge Congress to Support a Timetable for Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/feingold-mcgovern