Rep Kucinich: Plans Amendment To Ban Funding For Libya Action

[David__77]

Source: Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D., Ohio) on Tuesday said that he planned to offer an amendment to the next federal spending bill that would block the U.S. from funding military activities in Libya -- delving into a debate over defense spending at a time of soaring federal deficits.

"We have already spent trillions of dollars on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which descended into unwinnable quagmires," Kucinich wrote in a letter to colleagues. "Now, the President is plunging the United States into yet another war we cannot afford."

The lawmaker, who last week said the Obama administration should have asked Congress for a declaration of war before it intervened in Libya, is opening up tough questions by seeking to force a vote on spending. Many Republicans have said that they would be willing to cut defense spending, typically a sacred cow among Republicans, as part of a broader effort to control the federal debt. But that resolve may be tested at a time when the U.S. military is involved in actions in Libya.

A vote on cutting off funding for military action in Libya would also represent a way to hold U.S. President Barack Obama to promises that actions in Libya would be limited in "nature, duration, and scope." Obama wrote Congress on Monday that U.S. involvement would be limited, but didn't provide any timetables for the end of U.S. action.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110322-709604.html

[L. Coyote]

1. Roll call that one!

[Bodhi BloodWave]

2. Kucinich is a tad late, the white house has already stated they have no plans to ask congress

for money for the Libya action.

[David__77]

6. The political battle is important.

It's important, because everyone should be made to go on record with regard to this. On record with their vote. Disallowing funds, while unlikely, is a very strong message of no confidence in the current intervention. The thing is to raise the political costs.

[naaman fletcher]

12. So who is paying for it then?

[laconicsax]

20. They haven't been born yet. n/t

[rubberducky]

3. He sounds like the lefty of Beck.

[LaurenG]

5. Good grief what a pitiful assessment.

I understand if you don't appreciate some of the things he does but he has integrity and you comparing him to beck just made my head explode, in fact my hair is on fire now!

I TOTALLY disagree with you.

[sellitman]

13. Dennis has more integrity in his pinky than all of Beck

You need to think before you post.

[Dappleganger]

22. Ridiculous.

[Shiver]

4. On the one hand,

the White House has already stated there are no plans to request funds for the Libya action, so I'm not sure if this will effect anything.

On the other hand, if this brings up a serious debate on defensive spending, then awesome.

[Plucketeer]

8. So....... what?

This one comes out of the petty cash drawer?

[Shiver]

10. As I understand it, it's being funded by current, already-approved defensive spending.

"The operation in Libya is being funded with existing resources at this point. We are not planning to request a supplemental at this time,” Office of Management and Budget spokesman Kenneth Baer said Monday.

Source

[Very_Boring_Name]

7. I'm glad DK is spending his time well, pushing through amendments we all know have a chance to pass

:sarcasm:

[David__77]

9. So Democrats shouldn't introduce anything they know can't pass?

They have an awful lot of stuff to shelve then, with the GOP in control of the house.

[Desertrose]

15. Sometimes SOMEONE has to speak up for what is right.....

I'm very grateful for the fact Dennis is willing to do this.

[South End Liberal]

11. So where's the money coming from for the bombs and fighter jet that crashed?

Obama's not asking for money to fund the airstrikes? The fighter jet that crashed this morning in Libya?

The money for those bombs, jet fuel, planes, etc has to come from somewhere... What, the Pentagon has it's own printing press?

Obama's budget proposes to cut programs for the poor and working poor, programs such as help with heating bills and children's programs, BUT HE HAS MONEY TO DROP AN UNLIMITED NUMBER OF BOMBS ON LIBYA because their dictator has now decided he doesn't want to cooperate with our war hacks?

If you all are so concerned about the oppressed people of Libya, what about the opporessed people of Bahrain? Saudi Arabia? Jordan? Kuwait? The dictatorships in these countries would not likely survive without the support of the US government.

What is happening in Libya is not about democracy for the people, who will most likely be ruled by another puppet regime leader picked by the US, France and Great Britain.

If Bush had done what Obama is doing in Libya right now, HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD BE PROTESTING INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING him?

[thesquanderer]

14. costs are in replacements

re: "The money for those bombs...planes, etc has to come from somewhere..."

The bombs and planes already exist and have already been paid for. The expense will come in replacing them...

[Poll_Blind]

16. That's a specious argument- the cost of maintenance in manpower and resources is...

...astronomical for a fighter plane. Not to mention the fact that a clock is ticking on the airframe itself every hour it's in the air and the airframes are only rated for so long.

PB

[South End Liberal]

17. Candidate Obama stated President Obama doesn't have authority to authorize a military attack!

As a presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, in a 2007 interivew with the Boston Globe, strongly stated that the Constitution does not give the president the authority to unilaterally authorize a military attack unless it is needed to stop an actual or imminent attack on the United States.

This was in response to a question about under what circumstances the president would have the constitutional authority to bomb Iran without first seeking authorization from Congress.


So CANDIDATE Obama disagreed with what PRESIDENT Obama is now doing in regards to Libya.

The candidate Obama I voted for is not the president Obama we have in the White House.

[VermeerLives]

18. You are absolutely correct

0bama is contradicting himself now.

[ProSense]

19. How is he going to cut off funding for an operation

that isn't a specifically funded operation by Congress? The administration has resources it can use at its discretion.

Kucinich is a clown. He's talking about a debate, making baseless claims, and now before even having the debate he's going to cut funding? Based on what?

Absurd.

[freshwest]

21. Hey, but the media says we need to be there! What branch of government are they?