$190 billion more for the rat hole!

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is going to be asking the U.S. taxpayer for another $190 billion to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for 2008. This is on top of the $430 billion the Defense Dept is spending this year. Almost 2/3 of a trillion dollars for the Defense Dept. A government agency that has never in its history been able to pass an audit. The bad thing is Congress and Democrats will give it too them. None of them have the stomach to take a stand against this type of spending. As a third-generation Democrat I am at a loss for words.

And so it Continues...(the sequel)...

Well the Petraeus report is now public domain and the posturing and spin continues…. By now it well known that the report was “reviewed and edited” by the Cheney White House (of course I mean the Office of the VICE-President) and many people have already pointed out the discrepancies between this report and several independent reports presented to Congress over the past few weeks. (Of course, with this administration this comes as no surprise...)

The report basically says give us another six months, this will work…I promise! (A sentiment we’ve heard every few months since 2003) and then we’ll bring a token 30,000 troops home….

But even the Republicans are getting tired of the crap:

Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the U.S. military "cannot sustain a war in Iraq with no end in sight at the levels we're there now. And the American people will not support an infinite war whose sole remaining purpose is to prevent the situation in Iraq from becoming worse than it is today. It is time to turn the corner on Iraq policy. We should stop the surge (of additional troops) and start bringing our troops home," Lugar said. "We should end a political strategy in Iraq that cannot succeed and begin one that can."

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., asked, "Are we going to continue to invest blood and treasure at the same rate we're doing now? For what?"

EVEN THE MAIN AUTHOR OF THE REPORT, Gen. Petraeus, when asked by VA Senator John Warner, "Does that [Bush's Iraq Strategy] make America safer? Replied, "Sir, I don't know actually. I have not sat down and sorted it out in my own mind."

With this kind of opposition from members of his own party is there little wonder that Bush plans to support a troop reduction this spring? (Too bad we couldn’t get Bush to listen to the rest of us………)

AN IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER: Over the next few months, while you listen to the mainstream media and conservative talk radio hype up (and it will be propagandist hype to the extreme) Bush’s troop reduction as “proof” of Iraq success and vindication of his policies, REMEMBER THIS: The token reduction reduces the recent “surge” numbers ONLY. What the White House neglects to inform you is that these troops were already slated to return home because it was the end of their tour. They were scheduled to come home REGARDLESS of the results of the report. This "reduction" does not reduce the pre-surge numbers of 130,000 troops! They are destined to be there indefinitely! There is no plan to bring THEM home anytime soon…. Net change? Zero...

While the report’s co-author, ambassador Ryan Crocker, describes Iraq as “dysfunctional,” and other experts predict a decade’s long and costly American presence in Iraq,….still we wait…..

And this is the rosiest report Cheney’s office could write?

Labor Day Banquet

Kudos to everyone involved with the banquet! It went well and raised quite a bit of needed money. Thanks to former Governor (maybe future Senator.....) Mark Warner, Creigh Deeds, Brian Moran and all who spoke and donated their time and effort.

We couldn't have done it without them, or without all those who worked so hard behind the scenes. That video of Warner that was shown just prior to his speech was a great touch!

Job Well Done!

Any ideas for next year?

Gore vs Bush or More Hannity Inanity...

Seems that Sean Hannity is attacking Al Gore for flying in a private jet.

But Duhbyah does a little travling himself.

Which is nothing new.

So since Sean Hannity has gotten this ball rolling, let's do some comparing of the two fellows.

Gore vs Bush in 2007

Gore flies either commercial or private planes with no cost to the American Taxpayer.

Bush flies in Air Force One at enormous expense to the American Taxpayer.

Advantage Gore.

Gore plane gets 1.2 miles per gallon.
Bush plane uses Five gallons per mile. (Plus the cost of aC 141 to haul motorcade and support)
Advantage Gore.

You get the idea, so weigh in with your comparisons.

Let's have some fun!

CAPTION THIS!!!

Will We Make It?

Can the World Take It?