White House cautions against effort in Congress to restrict US aid to Iraq

[DogPoundPup]

Source: A/P

White House officials this week privately cautioned lawmakers not to go too far in restricting U.S. aid to Iraq, warning that doing so might only prolong the war, now in its sixth year.

The Bush administration did not slam the door on proposals in Congress that would insist Iraq do more to pay for its rebuilding efforts. In the meantime, independent investigators conclude in a report that substantial U.S. support continues despite Baghdad's anticipated $70 billion windfall in oil revenues.

The soaring cost of fuel prices and duration of the war have spurred the latest effort in Congress to get the Iraqis to pay more toward rebuilding efforts. Democrats and even some Republicans say American taxpayers are footing too much of the bill, including an expensive and painfully slow operation to train and equip Baghdad's security forces.

"There's going to have to be some honest-to-goodness pressure" to get the Iraqis to take charge, said Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "We can't be there forever."

Administration officials are concerned that cutting U.S. aid, particularly for rebuilding Iraq's security forces, would only slow the war effort and delay the homecoming of troops.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/30/america/NA-GEN-US-Iraq-Reconstruction.php

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[Triana]

1. CUT IT OFF, I say. Completely.

NO I don't think Congress would EVER show such conviction or backbone. Too bad.

[mcctatas]

2. Now they're worried about prolonging the fucking war?

and congress will cave as per their usual....
breaks my freaking heart!

[FormerOstrich]

3. Don't cut aid....

we broke it....but for damn sure cut the damn war funding!!!!

[dipsydoodle]

4. So let me make sure I've got this right

You/we destroy Irag's infastructure so that Irag can contribute to rebuilding it ? I was watching a film yesterday where someone had said something along the lines "wars were not for winning : they were for prolonging"

[Thor_MN]

5. What fucking war? It's an occupation, illegal at that.

The "War" ended when we illegally invaded a sovereign nation and overthrew the existing government. "Mission Accomplished" was the end of the illegal war, and the beginning of the illegal occupation.

It's way past time to end the $19,400,000 per hour "War on Terror". Nineteen and a half million dollars an hour, with absofuckinglutely nothing to show for it, other than cronies of the Bush/Chenney crime cartel filling their vaults. I do not buy the bullshit line that we are safer due to the invasion of Iraq - there were no WMDs, Iraq was never a threat to the US.

[LynnTheDem]

6. Dollars to Iraq is far more important than ordinary American citizens after all!

Why spend US dollars on Americans???

Let our roads crumble, our bridges fall down, our people starve or bleed to death.

We MUST MUST MUST keep the war profiteers profiteering! To do otherwise would weaken US security and endanger US interests!