by Mark Silva, and updated
The White House today wants to talk about the war "by the numbers:''
-- Nearly 200,000 combat troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
-- 70 days of vacation taken by Congress since the president first sought additional war funding which he hasn't received yet.
-- About 100,000 civilian workers at bases across the country facing pre-Christmas furlough notices -- that is the threat, at least, if Congress does not come through with some more of the "supplemental'' war funding that the White House seeks from time to time.
That's the sort of shutting-down-the-Washington-Monument-talk that often comes at the height of budget disputes, says Norm Ornstein, a senior scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. And near year's end, Bush and Congress have reached a serious standoff.
Here's another number: The White House is looking for nearly $200 billion for the wars. The House has offered $50 billion, with timelines for troop withdrawals -- a non-starter at the White House, threatening another veto if the president gets another war-spending bill with strings.
"We have nearly 200,000 troops in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and they are relying on this Congress to send them the funding they need to complete their mission,'' Dana Perino, White House press secretary, said today.
" We also have about 100,000 civilian workers at bases across the country who will be receiving furlough notices if Congress continues to delay action,'' Perno says. "Before leaving for another holiday break, Congress should stop ducking the issue of funding our troops and send the president a clean bill he can sign.''
Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has a response:
"“This month the Congress has passed a $459 billion Defense bill and an additional $11.6 billion for mine resistant vehicles,'' said Obey (D-Wis.) "$50 billion more in war funding was passed by the House and is available immediately, but the president must be willing to accept a few conditions:
"“Our soldiers must be fully equipped and fully trained.
“Government employees must follow the Army Field Manual guidelines prohibiting torture.
"The president must come up with a responsible plan to bring our troops home from Iraq by December of 2008.''
“We cannot stay in Iraq forever,'' Obey said. "The president should accept these conditions and come up with a responsible plan to bring our troops home.”
Here are some more numbers, from the White House's point of view:
296: The days Congress has had to consider the initial detailed war funding requests from the president based on the strategic recommendations of our military commanders.
70: The days of vacation Congress has taken since receiving the war funding request in February.
1: The number of weeks of war expenses which the Department of Defense can move under a general transfer authority absent congressional authorization.
55: Terrorist attacks in Iraq are down 55 percent since the "surge'' of additional forces which the president deployed in June.
60: Civilian fatalities have decreased 60 percent in Iraq since June.
40: Iraqi Security Force casualties are down 40 percent since the surge of operations began in June.
5,700: "Guided by the principle of "return on success," the United States will bring 5,700 troops home by the end of the year as a result of progress made by the surge.''
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Comments
President Bush should send out furlough notices and tell Dingy Harry Reid, Dickie Durbin, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer I'll veto your insulting appropriaton and I won't tie it to withdrawls.
These Dumbo Democrats are insulting our brave men and women in the military and they are invested in defeat.
America will remember these louts in 08 with election defeats.
They are anti-American period! Jerry White, Springfield, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | November 29, 2007 1:05 PM
How about these numbers:
Over 3800 of our soldiers killed.
Over 20,000 wounded
$9 billion missing from appropriations to Iraq
$750 million for an embassy in Baghdad that is plagued with shoddy construction
$600 billion spent on this war
$1.7 trillion - total effect on the economy in the future (since W is borrowing money to pay for the war)
Posted by: BobinATL | November 29, 2007 1:06 PM
"Terrorist attacks in Iraq are down 55 percent since the "surge'' of additional forces which the president deployed in June."
I guess that means that the Wingers can put to rest the argument that there have been ZERO terrorist attacks since 9/11. Here its stated that terrorist attacks are down 55%, clearly they're not down 55% from Zero.
Of course, these same folks also like to forget about the anthrax attacks, still unsolved, but of course those were directed against Democrats and "liberals" so they're not of much importance anyway.
Posted by: Jones | November 29, 2007 1:18 PM
So if the President doesn't get his war funding for a war that isn't protecting Americans, he will simply start closing AMERICAN bases so he can continue HIS war. That certainly makes a lot of sense.
So Bruce, Jerry White, John D., etc. why do YOU and George W. Bush hate America so much that you are willing to jeopardize America's safety so that Iraq will be safe?
Posted by: dogjudge | November 29, 2007 1:26 PM
"White House talking about the war 'by the numbers"
Republican math:
$350 Billion for a civil war in Iraq = GOOD
Money for healthcare for people here in America = BAD
W. is acting like that Saddam guy, remember him?:
http://bushspeaks.com/home.asp?did=142
Posted by: John E | November 29, 2007 1:57 PM
"70: The days of vacation Congress has taken since receiving the war funding request in February."
So the WH didn't include 30: the month of August that the Iraqi Parliament took off for vacation while our soldiers were dying trying to stabilize their out-of-control, occupied country with billions of our tax dollars. Haven't seen any outrage from 'I'm-more-American-than thou' Jerry White regarding that.
8-1-07: should have been the day we pulled out of Iraq.
Posted by: DD | November 29, 2007 2:25 PM
"These Dumbo Democrats are insulting our brave men and women in the military and they are invested in defeat."
Posted by: Jerry White | November 29, 2007 1:05 PM
Jerry, you sound like a choir of retards singing the same verse, over and over, and over. Yet another crybaby republican spreading lies. Democrats and no more interested in defeat than any other American. They just realize when they've been scammed. Your criminal heros in the Whitehouse continue to waste your tax dollars and yet you defend them. Pathetic.
Posted by: Little G-DUB | November 29, 2007 3:41 PM
"BUSH SPEAKS" NUMBERS DON'T LIE, ARCHIVES DON'T LIE"
WE ARE WINNING THE WAR ON THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION. JUST THINK WE DESTROYED THE ECONOMY. WE INSTITUTED A CULTURE OF CORRUPTION FOR ALL GOP MEMBERS AND DNC MEMBERS ALIKE FOR THE TAKINGS. WE HAVE WATCHED AMERICAN, AFTER AMERICAN BE KILLED IN AN OCCUPATION, A CIVIL WAR, AND A COUP DE IRAQ OIL RECONCILIATION ATTEMPT.
NUMBERS DON'T LIE, FILLIBUSTER AFTER FILLIBUSTER, AFTER VETO, AFTER VETO. AMERICA IS STRONGER THAN IT WAS BEFORE HE WAS ELECTED.
ARCHIVES DON'T LIE. BEFORE THE SURGE AND AFTER THE SURGE, OUR SOLDIERS CONTINUE TO DIE IN DICK CHENEY'S QUAGMIRE AND CONDI RICE AUGMENTATION OF THE WAR ON TERROR, OR THE EVIL DOERS, YOU REMEMBER THOSE PEOPLE.
SO GEORGE BUSH, DICK CHENEY, DAVID ADDINGTON, FRED FIELDING, KARL ROVE, HARRIET MEIERS, AND ALBERTO GONZALES GET THE 'YOU DID A HECKUVA JOB' AWARD FOR 2001-2007.
LONG LIVE NANCY PELOSI!
Posted by: Roger Morris | November 29, 2007 5:56 PM
The. Worst.Vice.President.Ever better be careful about throwing around complaints about vacations...
____________________________
"Bush on track to become the vacation president," Julie Mason headlined in the August 9, 2007, edition of the Houston Chronicle:[1]
"On Thursday, Bush left for a weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine, and his family's summer compound, Walker's Point. On Monday, he heads to his Crawford retreat, where he has spent all or part of 418 days of his presidency, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS News White House correspondent and meticulous record-keeper.
"...The presidential vacation-time record holder is the late Ronald Reagan, who tallied 436 days in his two terms. At 418 days, and with 17 months to go in his presidency, Bush is going to beat that easily."
Posted by: rncbs | November 29, 2007 6:08 PM