Republican Reps. Tom Latham of Iowa and John McHugh of New York were among the lawmakers who made a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan in February. The two of them discussed what they saw in the latest edition of “The Congressional Report,” a monthly public affairs program that Latham hosts.
McHugh called the situation in Iraq “a war that is phasing down” and “a great victory for the forces of democracy,” though he acknowledged that more work needs to be done to finish it.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain said a while back that U.S. troops should have a presence in Iraq until they finish their mission — even if it takes up to ” a hundred years or a thousand years or 10,000 years.”
The liberal online activist group MoveOn.org is now taking that figurative statement and applying it literally to attack McCain. “A hundred years in Iraq — and you thought no one could be worse than George Bush,” MoveOn says in a new advertisement.
President Bush today tackled an array of subjects in a press conference with reporters.
The topics included: the state of the U.S. economy, including high energy and food prices; the progress of military operations in Afghanistan; the plans for extra spending on the war in Iraq; presidential relations with Congress; the decision by former President Jimmy Carter to meet with leaders of the terrorist group Hamas; and Bush’s expectations of how the next president will approach the war on terror.
If all goes as planned, the first session of the 110th Congress will end next week, but Congress still hasn’t finalized emergency funding for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afganistan. That reality continues to irritate President Bush.
“Congress has had plenty of time to consider the emergency funds our troops need. Time is running out,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “And Pentagon officials say that continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of our military. Congress’ responsibility is clear: They must deliver vital funds for our troops — and they must do it before they leave for Christmas.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California focused on a completely different subject in the Democratic address: energy legislation passed by her chamber. She touted provisions to improve fuel-efficiecy standards for vehicles and to foster the U.S. biofuels industry, among other things. The goal is to make the United States less dependent on foreign oil as an energy source.
“Our energy bill will strengthen our national security, protect consumers from spiraling energy prices, create jobs, and meet our moral obligation to preserve our planet for future generations,” Pelosi said. “It will tell the world that America is prepared to become a leader in addressing the global climate crisis.”
President Bush today outlined a legislative wish list for Congress to address between now and Christmas once lawmakers return to work next week, and emergency funding for U.S. troops is at the top of the list.
Bush warned that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is prepared to layoff civilian Defense Department employees, terminate contracts and reduce operations at other U.S. bases across the globe if necessary to give U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq what they need until Congress provides enough money. “Military leaders have told us what they need to do their job,” he said in his weekly radio address. “It is time for the Congress to do its job and give our troops what they need to protect America.”
The president’s other priorities include an update to and extension of the law that governs anti-terrorism surveillance, a change to the alternative minimum tax that is aimed at ensuring that all Americans pay at least some taxes, and finalizing a fiscal 2008 budget that isn’t loaded with “earmarks and pork-barrel spending.”
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