Kuninich: Cut off funding for war

http://kucinich.us/

Nov 15, 2006

Congressman Kucinich called Wednesday for cutting off funding of the Iraq war, as the surest way out of Iraq. His statements were made in an interview by Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman.

"I want to say that there's one solution here, and it's not to engage in a debate with the President, who has taken us down a path of disaster in Iraq, but it's for Congress to assume the full power that it has under the Constitution to cut off funds. We don't need to keep indulging in this debate about what to do, because as long as we keep temporizing, the situation gets worse in Iraq.

"We have to determine that the time has come to cut off funds. There’s enough money in the pipeline to achieve the orderly withdrawal that Senator McGovern is talking about. But cut off funds, we must. That's the ultimate power of the Congress, the power of the purse. That's how we'll end this war, and that’s the only way we’re going to end this war.

"We need to shift our direction."

"We have to take a whole new approach. We’re spending over $400 billion a year, money that's also needed for healthcare, for education, for job creation, for seniors. We have to take a new look at this. We need to be a strong country, but strength isn't only military. Strength is also the economic strength of the people, their chance to have good neighborhoods. We spend more money than all the countries of the world put together for the military.

"It's time for us to start to shift our vision about who we are as a nation, because if we don't do that -- we’re borrowing money right now to wage the war in Iraq. We’re borrowing money from China. We’re not looking at our trade deficit. We’re not looking at conditions, where people are going bankrupt trying to pay their hospital bills. We need to shift our direction, and the direction has to be away from the continued militarization of the United States society."

 

Gee. Someone has an opinion.
I'm shocked by this.
When the resolution passes, get back to us.

 

What the fuck dude?

Take your smartass hat off for a second. It's just a thread. Messageboard thing - discussion of news, whatever? I know you need to be king poohbah of the board, but man, it gets overbearing at times.

Wow.

 

Dennis leans so far left, his perspective is regrettably limited.

We need to get the hell out of there with all deliberate speed. Spastic-boy has already
blown far too much of the country's loot, there. That said, a funding freeze would be the
tail wagging the dog.

 

Who's Kuninich?

And Kucinich is further to the left than I am, which is saying something.

 

Congressman from Aganda.

 

Gotta watch those guys from Aganda. They're a scary bunch.

 

Poin -- Sorry. trigger was too quick there. Apologies to you and the board.
Still, if he gets three co-sponsors, I'll be stunned.

 

Of all the goofball ideas that get thrown around by politicians of all persuasions, I don't think this is that far out of "left" field.

If you think the troops need to leave there NOW, as in immediately, this would be the quickest way to do it. I'd like to at least see some non-partisan discussion of all the options by our elected leaders... Even the looniest ideas.

 

No question that you're right, given the play that the "more troops!" side is getting from McCain et. al.
However, my argument about co-sponsors was based on courage, which I think is lacking, and Kucinich is one of those guys who was right all along and, somehow, this makes him less important to the debate.

 

How did he vote when it came up? How many congressmen voted against the war in 2003?

 

here's the wiki link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Resolution_to_Authorize_the_Use_of_United_States_Armed_Forces_Against_Iraq

Kucinich beat the crap out of Edwards and Kerry during the 2004 primary debates over their YES votes.
Here's the House vote and he voted No.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2002/roll455.xml