WASHINGTON - President Bush sent lawmakers a $70 billion request Friday to fund U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring, which would give the next president breathing room to make his or her own war policy.

Congressional analysts say Bush's request would bring the total spending since Sept. 11, 2001, to fight terrorism and conduct the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to $875 billion.

-What a colossal waste of money! And every single penny of it is borrowed with interest!

This is just shameful. I would be embarrassed to be a Republican. George W. Bush had six years of one party rule and what did he do, spent us into the poor house. And to think of fighting a war and then not paying for it – speaks volumes about his dereliction of duty as president. But that should come as no surprise, for he hasn’t accomplished anything of substance in 7 years in office. His crowning domestic legislative achievement, “No Child Left Behind”, is universally assailed as a failure.

I’d like to remind those who support the war that it was to have generated few casualties, cost a few billion dollars and last roughly a year. I can easily remember members of the neo-con cabal, most notably former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, running around Washington DC making the claim that the war would be a cake walk.

I blame much of this mess on the whole discredited neo conservative movement which had been planning for war against Iraq as early as the 1990’s. Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, I. Lewis Libby, Richard Perle, William Kristol and the whole lot of them should be taken out and tarred and feathered.

I would be embarrassed to be a Republican.

I was and that's why I changed to Independent.

"I was and that's why I changed to Independent."

Sort of self neutered.

Sort of self neutered.

Staying with the Republican party that's in shambles would be the same thing and probably close to castration......

So, would this be like rats deserting sinking ships, or what?

To me, an independent is someone without the balls to stand for anything.

I stand for everything that isn't corrupt like YOU neo-CONs.
To me a neo-CON is someone that LOVES to fuck America.

I would love to fuck America


http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1065229/

Sorry MC...
She needs BIG pee pee....

I don't literally have balls, but I'm not an independent, either.

"So, would this be like rats deserting sinking ships, or what?

To me, an independent is someone without the balls to stand for anything."

How exactly is it that following a party herd qualifies as "having balls"?

Seems to me that someone who makes up their own goddamn mind (and then stands for those principles) is the one with the balls.

Yep.

Gosh, I sure have a weird feeling in my groin area.

:-P

"Gosh, I sure have a weird feeling in my groin area."

There's gotta be a clever Bushism in there somewhere.

In this case I think you could call it a "Merkinism"!

And there you have it! Perfect.

Why major blunders have been made in Iraq and in Afghanistan. I still believe that both missions were necessary and worth it. I am more than happy to pay my taxes and that cause for the rest of my life.

But that is just my personal thoughts and I know it is not the thoughts of many.

FLAME AWAY!

Get your check in to build the George W Bush Library.

I will agree with David on one point, the mission in Afghanistan is justified. It’s the adopted home of Osama bin Laden and he helped finance the takeover of its government by the Taliban. But securing the capture of the one man responsible for orchestrating and financing 9/11 has never been a top priority of the incumbent administration. In fact, it seems almost an afterthought to George W. Bush.


But when it comes to Iraq, I must part company. George W. Bush’s entire justification of war against Iraq has proven to be nothing more than a series of lies. Weapons of mass destruction have yet to be found, five years after the war began. Al Qaeda, according to George W. Bush, was a known and welcome entity within the territorial boundaries of Iraq at the behest of Saddam Hussein. Another total and complete lie.

The war was the pipe dream of think tank neo conservatives who in January 2001 found themselves in the seats of power. The 9/11 attack was the justification they needed to make war with Iraq. With that, they told the American people and the world of the aforementioned lies which in their minds justified the invasion of Iraq.

Five years later, 4,000 plus dead US soldiers, sailors, airman and marines, 30,000 injured US soldiers, sailors, airman and marines and 80,000 Iraqi citizens killed. That doesn’t include a price tag of over $650 billion dollars. If it had merit, I would support it. But it is completely and utterly tragic that so many innocent souls have lost their lives because of a failed political philosophy.

One day I hope George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and so many others who lobbied for war find it in their hearts to apologize to the American people and the people of Iraq for the untold horror they have brought in the name of their discredited political philosophy.

Agreed also on Afghanistan. That was the right thing to do. Remains so, IMHO.

If we had not gone and started Iraq, things might be very different today!

Republicans might be enjoying a very serious and substantial majority. Most all of the world that matters was united behind us at that time. It was the golden opportunity for an American President to make a very lasting mark on the politics of the world.

That mark is being made, but isn't the one that could have been.

Who knows? We might have nabbed Bin Laden then, and in doing so, united the world on terror, how to handle it, and also united it on a lot of other things as well.

Tal, I don't think we will ever see that apology. It's not so much they they are evil or horrible. (I think so, but that's not the point) It's that their perspective on things is just so seriously misaligned with realities that they are highly likely not capable of reaching acceptance on failure to be their fault. It will be seen as more of a lack of resolve, or interference from others who don't "get it".

I'm sure there is more to the story, but at a low level, I think this disconnect runs deeper --deep enough that their very being would have to break in order to cross it. That's not going to happen as their self image matters to them enough to prevent it.

I will agree with David on one point, the mission in Afghanistan is justified.

*DING*

I think EVERYONE has said that Afghanistan was the right thing to do!
The MISSION after 9/11 was to get Osama NOT SODOMY! That's what the EXTREME RIGHT seems to FORGET but that's their MO when things don't go right....

Reporter: Mr. President how are we coming along with the search for Osama?

DUHBya: I don't put much thought into these days.


WTF! He was the MASTERMIND behind 9/11??? YOU DON'T WANT TO FIND HIM?
Now that's just plain STUPID!

Par for the course for DUHbya and Co.

David, how many people like you have to pay taxes to support the mission in Iraq? Look at your tax bill, if you even pay federal income taxes, then do the math.

All death and destruction aside, a colossal waste of our tax dollars with very little to show for it.

History will show the shrub residency to be the turning point of America's rise and fall.

I think we could probably trace it back to 1980, with 2000 being an acceleration in the decline.

Herb!!!!!
Where in the HELL is Osama?
DUHbya said he was priority #1???????

Who?

That's my point!