Iraq war bill deletes US military base prohibition

[tocqueville]

By Richard Cowan
16 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Republicans killed a provision in an Iraq war funding bill that would have put the United States on record against the permanent basing of U.S. military facilities in that country, a lawmaker and congressional aides said on Friday.

The $94.5 billion emergency spending bill, which includes $65.8 billion to continue waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to be approved by Congress next week and sent to President George W. Bush for signing into law.

As originally passed by the House of Representatives, the Pentagon would have been prohibited from spending any of the funds for entering into a military basing rights agreement with Iraq.

A similar amendment passed by the Senate said the Pentagon could not use the next round of war funding to "establish permanent United States military bases in Iraq, or to exercise United States control over the oil infrastructure or oil resources of Iraq."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060610/ts_nm/security_congress_funding_dc;_ylt=AhDm7XWF62vN8GZNOu9vnL1Z.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

[BR_Parkway]

1. Makes you wonder what else they slipped in under "dead terrorist" filmfest

while the media was doing their usual overkill reporting

[The2ndWheel]

2. Gasp!

The problem is, you don't voluntarily stop expansion, especially when concerning an entity as big as the state or the corporation, if they're even different. The only way we stop spanning the globe with military bases is by losing a war to another actual state, or by not having enough energy that would be required to sustain such a global reach. Although, other empires conquered their own "known" worlds well before a concentration of power called oil was discovered.

Anyway, we'll have military bases in the next country we invade, and the next, and the next, because there will be a next, and a next, and a next. The Iraq war will stop invasion like Vietnam stopped invasion.

[marmar]

3. The Rubber Stamp Republicans, doing what they do best...

I am so sick of this tired act. If we don't take control of at least the House this year, the damage to this country is going to be very long-term.

[Lasher]

4. This was done by the Senate/House conference committee

when they met to reconcile the Senate and House versions of the bill. This is not the first time the Repukes have used this thief in the night tactic.

They already have permanent bases in Iraq anyway, and the neocons will certainly exercise control over Iraq's oil. It's why they started this war.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Oh well

it's only your taxpayers money.x(