There are few things that get under my skin more than playing politics with Soldier's lives. Dave Obey (D-WI) told ABC news that he has no problem with it.
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“The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has a stark message for President Obama about Afghanistan -- sending more troops would be a mistake that could "wipe out every initiative we have to rebuild our own economy." "There ain't going to be no money for nothing if we pour it all into Afghanistan," House Appropriations Chairman David Obey told ABC News in an exclusive interview. "If they ask for an increased troop commitment in Afghanistan, I am going to ask them to pay for it." Obey, a Democrat from Wisconsin, made it clear that he is absolutely opposed to sending any more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and says if Obama decides to do that, he'll demand a new tax -- what he calls a "war surtax" -- to pay for it.
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Obey’s strategy is the same as President Obama’s. They are on a mission to drive down support by making the war as drawn-out and unattractive as possible. It has been over 3 months since General McChrystal asked for additional troops, yet only now has Obama done anything to act on his request. Many are now calling Obama the “Ditherer in Chief” for his indecisiveness. And now Dave Obey has decided to jump on board the Democrat’s anti-war bandwagon and start driving down support for the war even further. Obey, like many Democrats, is quick to play the Vietnam card in regards to Afghanistan. Unfortunately Obey uses a very different American history to draw his conclusion (judging by his “ain't going to be no money for nothing” grammar it’s starting to look like he skipped a few grades in school).
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Via Hotair:
Obey tells ABC that wars always end progressive agendas:Such a high war cost, he warns, will make it impossible to pay for any of Obama’s major domestic initiatives. “That’s what happened with the Vietnam War, which wiped out [President Lyndon Johnson's social program] the Great Society,” Obey said. “That’s what happened with the Korean War, which wiped out Harry Truman’s Square Deal. That’s what happened with the end of the progressive movement before the ’20s when we went into World War I. In each case, the cost of those wars shut off our ability to pay for anything else.
”There is so much foolishness in this statement that’s almost impossible to unpack it all. But I’ll try:
- So far, Obey and his Democratic allies haven’t shown how they will pay for Obama’s domestic initiatives now, even without any further war funding. Every single program they’ve proposed will add to the deficit, including Obey’s Porkulus bill.
- The Great Society programs didn’t end with the Vietnam War. We still have them around, especially Medicare, which has grown massively since LBJ. We only curtailed LBJ’s welfare program in the mid-90s because of its stultifying effects and runaway costs, and we weren’t in a shooting war when we did it. What program does Obey think got cut from LBJ’s agenda?
- We went into World War I in 1917, and came out in 1919. “Before the ’20s” sounds as though Obey thinks the war was in that decade, but even without that, the progressive agenda had plenty of time (and prosperity) in that decade to succeed if people wanted it. It died of its own accord, not because of war.
- And for that matter, did World War II end the New Deal? We still have FDR’s stamp all over federal government.
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Let’s be very clear about something: this is not about the money. Obey has absolutely no problem spending other people’s money on his pet government projects, including steering a couple billion to his own son. His $787 billion “stimulus” has been an epic failure that will burden generations to come with massive debt. He had no problem with millions of dollars in pork in his Stimulus Bill. In fact, as he put it in an interview with NPR (and has Sean Duffy for Congress has been hammering away on him) he simply said “So what?” He only cares when it fits his politics. Obey’s actions have nothing to do with what is best for America and everything to do with his liberal ideology.
Soldiers are not political pawns Mr. Obey. Your disregard for our Soldier’s lives and our national defense is absolutely disgusting and irreprehensible. You are out of touch with needs of Wisconsin and our great nation as a whole.