Quote of the Week

"Another $106 billion dollars and all we get is a lousy war. Pretty soon that is going to be about the only thing made in America – war."

Dennis Kucinich, 6/16/09 House debate on the war supplemental

Why I'm No Longer a Republican (Reason No. 874)

On June 16, the House approved the $106 billion war supplemental to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September. The vote was 226-202 with all but 5 Republicans voting nay.

This is an example of politics at its worst. Since 2003, the Republicans have accused Democrats who voted against war funding as failing to "support the troops." Now the Republicans have opposed the war supplemental (using as an excuse inclusion of an additional $5 billion for the International Money Fund [IMF]). Add-ons to the war supplement in the past have included extension of unemployment benefits, tsunami disaster relief, low income home energy assistance, Hurricane Katrina relief and drought relief for farmers (among many others). The GOP always voted yea in the past when these add-ons were included, but that was when it was Bush's war. It is apparent that our troops are nothing but pawns in a power struggle between the two parties.

If only the GOP vote against war funding were a vote against the war(s). There is one Republican with integrity; see his statement here.

(HT: libertystickers.com)