House to pass defense bill that includes troop pay raise, drops foreign lawsuits provision

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) – The House plans to pass as early as Wednesday a new defense policy bill that includes a pay raise for troops.

President Bush had rejected an earlier version of the legislation because he said it would expose the Iraqi government to expensive lawsuits.

Democrats on Tuesday planned to send the bill back to the House Armed Services Committee, which then would quickly redraft the measure to address Bush's concerns and send it back to the floor for a final vote by week's end.

The decision to revise the bill without attempting to block Bush's action reflects the difficulty that Democrats have had in challenging the president on even minor issues. Democrats lack the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.



Read more: http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=78084&r=1

[rockybelt]

1. They don't lack votes

They lack spines.

[harmonicon]

2. spot on

[jasmine621]

3. They do lack votes.

And that is the one message that the Dem candidates have failed, so far, to inform the public about. This race is not JUST about the Presidency but it is about the Congress too. If real change is to come, whoever the Dem President is, wiil need to have a Congress that will share the vision and move forward. ELECT DEMOCRATS!!

[DCKit]

4. Why not simply allow him to veto the same bills over and over again?

Separate important legislation from the bills that HE wants and keep sending the other SOS back without compromise.

The Dem leadership is making excuses instead of taking action and even the dullards among us are noticing.

[Ghost Dog]

5. "State-sponsored abuse"

"Amended will be a provision by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., that would have guaranteed that U.S. victims of state-sponsored abuse have the right to sue those governments in court."

When will non-US citizens start to get anywhere attempting to sue the US government for the same?

[superconnected]

6. Eventually you look at the people not standing up to this administrations

abuse and you say, they don't lack spine, they're part of the corruption.

[cal04]

7. House Passes New Defense Bill

The House on Wednesday passed a new defense policy bill that includes a pay raise for troops.

President Bush had rejected an earlier version of the legislation because he said it would expose the Iraqi government to expensive lawsuits.

The new bill, which the House passed by a vote of 369-46, would let Bush grant Iraq immunity under the provision, which otherwise guarantees that U.S. victims of state-sponsored abuse can sue foreign governments in court. Iraqi officials objected to the measure because they said it would have subjected Baghdad to high-dollar payouts in damages from the Saddam Hussein era.

The revised measure also makes the 3.5 percent pay increase for troops, included in the original bill, retroactive to Jan. 1.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080116/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_4