THE BACKLASH MAY HIT LEFTISTS IN CONGRESS

The Associated Press is reporting the following story, and I believe this may be a warning to the RINO and Democrat members of Congress that were elected from districts with large military bases. If they don't believe Secretary Gates they may see a situation develop similar to the one that occurred when President Reagan locked out the striking air traffic controllers.

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that unless Congress passes funding for the Iraq war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corps to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts early next year. Gates, who met with members of Congress on Wednesday, said that he does not have the money or the flexibility to move funding around to adequately cover the costs of the continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "There is a misperception that this department can continue funding our troops in the field for an indefinite period of time through accounting maneuvers, that we can shuffle money around the department. This is a serious misconception," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. As a result, he said that he is faced with the undesirable task of preparing to cease operations at Army bases by mid-February, and lay off about 100,000 defense department employees and an equal number of civilian contractors. A month later, he said, similar moves would have to be made by the Marines. Some members of Congress believe the Pentagon can switch enough money to cover the war accounts, Gates said. But he added that he only has the flexibility to transfer about $3.7 billion - which is just one week's worth of war expenses. Lawmakers, he said, may not understand how complicated and restrictive the situation is.

Despite the dangling preposition that ended Secretary Gates statement. I believe the 218 who voted to force the Commander in Chief to withdraw His troops by December 2008 should be concerned. I believe it is right and just to cut off funds to the civilians before you take the weapons and ammunition out of the hands of the brave men and women who are on the fighting line.


The House on Wednesday passed, 218-203, a $50 billion bill that would pay for the wars, but require that troops start to leave Iraq in 30 days. It sets a goal of ending combat by December 2008, as well as establishing interrogations standards that would make waterboarding - or simulated drowning - illegal. The Senate planned to vote as early as Friday on the measure. The bill was expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to advance."


If Congress doesn't approve $196 billion for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gates says, bases may partly shut down and civilians may lose jobs.
Thursday he said that he will have to lay off 200,000 civilian employees and contractors, terminate military contracts and partially shut down U.S. military bases unless Congress acts quickly to approve additional funding for the Iraq war.


But the Congressional "Queen" from San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi, in her "power happy" way says: "House Democrats would refuse to send the president a funding bill free of conditions if Senate Republicans block the House measure. "We're not going to be taking it up anymore over here," she told reporters.


I believe Speaker of the House Pelosi has a short memory. Just five years ago the majority of the House and Senate authorized the Use of force against Iraq in the passage of H.J. Res 114 and S.J.Res. 45, and then followed this in June 2003 with appropriation Bills to fund the military action. My how they have change their minds for political reasons and because of pressure from anti-war Leftist back home!



On October 10,2002 Senator Clinton stood in the "Well" of the Senate and spoke these words: "Now, I believe the facts that have brought us to this fateful vote are not in doubt. Saddam Hussein is a tyrant who has tortured and killed his own people, even his own family members, to maintain his iron grip on power. He used chemical weapons on Iraqi Kurds and on Iranians, killing over 20 thousand people. Unfortunately, during the 1980's, while he engaged in such horrific activity, he enjoyed the support of the American government, because he had oil and was seen as a counterweight to the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran."....... "So it is with conviction that I support this resolution as being in the best interests of our nation. A vote for it is not a vote to rush to war; it is a vote that puts awesome responsibility in the hands of our President and we say to him - use these powers wisely and as a last resort. And it is a vote that says clearly to Saddam Hussein - this is your last chance - disarm or be disarmed.
Thank you, Mr. President."


Now she is bowing to the anti-war supporters as she campaigns for the seat in the Oval Office that she covets. We cannot let this happen. Please write, email and call your Congressional and Senate representatives and tell them to fund our brave men and women as long as it takes. We have had to give up very little for this war compared to that which our parents and grandparents gave up to defeat Nazi Germany, and the troops will just have to go back again, if we bring them home before the job is done!















The February 6, 2006, testimony of Alberto Gonzales to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Wartime Executive Power and the National Security Agency's Surveillance Authority, however indicates otherwise:
GONZALES: There was not a war declaration, either in connection with Al Qaida or in Iraq. It was an authorization to use military force. I only want to clarify that, because there are implications. Obviously, when you talk about a war declaration, you're possibly talking about affecting treaties, diplomatic relations. And so there is a distinction in law and in practice. And we're not talking about a war declaration. This is an authorization only to use military force.
The courts have consistently refused to intervene in this matter, and in practice Presidents have the power to commit forces with congressional approval but without a declaration of war.