Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Defund Libya attack

[one_voice]

Liberal Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich plans to offer up a measure that would defund U.S. efforts in Libya.

According to a letter blasted to his email list, Kucinich plans to offer an amendment to the next spending bill to ensure no federal funds go to the bombing campaign in Libya.

The amendment would give Congress a more concrete opportunity than they’ve had to challenge President Barack Obama on Libya, a subject that has riled both sides of the aisle.

In the letter Kucinich addressed to his fellow lawmakers, the Ohio Democrat said Obama scooted around the Constitution, “which gives only Congress the power to declare war.” He also says the no-fly zone will cost between $400 and 800 million.

“We have already spent trillions of dollars on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which descended into unwinnable quagmires,” Kucinich wrote in his letter. “Now, the president is plunging the United States into yet another war we cannot afford. While the administration assures us that that the U.S. will hand-off its lead role to coalition partners within days, we have not been notified of long-term plans or goals following initial air strikes in the country. The timeline the president gave to Congress was summarized with one word: ‘limited.’”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51736.html#ixzz1HLwQ4kxF

[Catherina]

1. Do it please. Defund this monstrosity immediately. Rec'd n/t

[FSogol]

2. Ok House "Leadership," time to have a talk with "Loose Cannon" Kucinich.

Woodshed time?

[timtom]

5. yeah. we need more pelosi "impeachment is of the table"

type democrats. that'll fix what ails us...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. And, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Alas, our poodle congress are obedient flag-waving poodles.

All too ready to send the cannon fodder off to fight the bogey-man de jour.

[revolutionnow45]

4. Why doesn't he go after fraud and abuse by Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan

Billions have gone 'missing'...same corrupt contractors hired again and again with no bids...

This would add up to quite a bit more than 800 million.

[AnOhioan]

6. Glad you asked

"In a letter sent Tuesday, Kucinich challenged Issa on why he hadn’t pledged to rid the Department of Defense’s $663 billion budget of wasteful spending. Kucinich cited a 2001 Government Accountability Office report, mentioned by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, that found US officials had lost track of $2.3 trillion of DOD spending. Kucinich goes on:

“We have seen dozens of reports of corruption, lost money, and unaccountable transactions in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have seen report of billions of taxpayers dollars in shrink-wrapped packages sent to Iraq for unsupervised distribution. We have seen millions of dollars flow into Afghanistan, and we have seen millions of dollars flow out again into the hands of the family of President Hamid Karzai for purposes such as building luxury villas in Dubai.”

He concludes, “To meet your stated purpose of protecting American taxpayers from waste, fraud, and abuse, it is essential that you examine the Department of Defense and money wasted during unnecessary wars.”"


http://sunstateactivist.org/ssablog/2011/01/06/dennis-kucinich-challenges-republicans-on-finding-government-waste-everywhere-but-bloated-military-budget/

[Poll_Blind]

7. That is entirely irrelevant.

PB

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. K&R for defunding! n/t