WORLD SOCIALIST - Rep. David Obey (Democrat from Wisconsin), a 20-term
congressman who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee in
the new, Democratic-controlled 110th Congress, lashed out at the mother
of a Marine and another antiwar activist when they approached him in a
congressional corridor and asked if he planned to vote against a
supplemental funding bill to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. .
.
Obey is the lead sponsor of a supplemental war funding bill announced
last week by the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives.
The measure is an attempt by the Democrats to present a bill granting
the Bush administration's request for more than $100 billion to continue
and escalate the war in Iraq as a plan to end the war.
It does this by attaching various conditions - none of which actually
restrict the ability of the administration to further escalate the war -
and stipulating that US combat troops must begin "redeploying" from Iraq
by March 1, 2008 and completely withdraw by September 8 of next year. .
.
[A] video clip initially posted on You Tube shows a woman, later
identified as Tina Richards, and a colleague approaching Obey outside
his office in the Rayburn House Office Building. Richards explains that
her son is a Marine who has served two tours of duty in Iraq and is
facing a third tour. She tells Obey her son suffers from post-traumatic
stress disorder and has attempted to commit suicide. "It took us six
months to get his first appointment with the VA," she tells the
congressman. "They told him after ten minutes it sounds like you have
childhood issues."
Obey responds politely, if somewhat curtly, clearly anxious to end the
discussion. However, when Richards asks him if he plans to vote against
the supplemental war spending bill, he grows increasingly agitated.
"Absolutely not," he declares, "I'm the sponsor of the supplemental.
We're trying to use the supplemental to end the war. . . You can't end
the war if you go against the supplemental. It's time these idiot
liberals understand that.". . .
Richards attempts to speak, but Obey cuts her off, saying, "I hate the
war. I voted against it to start with.... But we don't have the votes to
de-fund the war and we shouldn't.". . .
Obey grows even louder and more hysterical when Richards' companion
intervenes and says the Democrats could end the war by cutting off
funding. "How, if you don't have the votes?" Obey demands. "You can
filibuster his [Bush's] supplemental request," the man replies. "There
is no filibuster in the House," Obey shoots back. "In the Senate they
can do it," the man responds. "All they need is 40 votes.". . .
"I'm sorry," he declares, "I'm the sponsor of the bill that's going to
be on the floor and that bill ends the war. And if that's not good
enough for you, you're smoking something illegal. . . I'm not going to
debate anymore. Go talk to somebody else. Goodbye."
With that, the congressman rushes into his office and slams the door
behind him.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/mar2007/obey-m12.shtml
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congressman who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee in
the new, Democratic-controlled 110th Congress, lashed out at the mother
of a Marine and another antiwar activist when they approached him in a
congressional corridor and asked if he planned to vote against a
supplemental funding bill to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. .
.
Obey is the lead sponsor of a supplemental war funding bill announced
last week by the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives.
The measure is an attempt by the Democrats to present a bill granting
the Bush administration's request for more than $100 billion to continue
and escalate the war in Iraq as a plan to end the war.
It does this by attaching various conditions - none of which actually
restrict the ability of the administration to further escalate the war -
and stipulating that US combat troops must begin "redeploying" from Iraq
by March 1, 2008 and completely withdraw by September 8 of next year. .
.
[A] video clip initially posted on You Tube shows a woman, later
identified as Tina Richards, and a colleague approaching Obey outside
his office in the Rayburn House Office Building. Richards explains that
her son is a Marine who has served two tours of duty in Iraq and is
facing a third tour. She tells Obey her son suffers from post-traumatic
stress disorder and has attempted to commit suicide. "It took us six
months to get his first appointment with the VA," she tells the
congressman. "They told him after ten minutes it sounds like you have
childhood issues."
Obey responds politely, if somewhat curtly, clearly anxious to end the
discussion. However, when Richards asks him if he plans to vote against
the supplemental war spending bill, he grows increasingly agitated.
"Absolutely not," he declares, "I'm the sponsor of the supplemental.
We're trying to use the supplemental to end the war. . . You can't end
the war if you go against the supplemental. It's time these idiot
liberals understand that.". . .
Richards attempts to speak, but Obey cuts her off, saying, "I hate the
war. I voted against it to start with.... But we don't have the votes to
de-fund the war and we shouldn't.". . .
Obey grows even louder and more hysterical when Richards' companion
intervenes and says the Democrats could end the war by cutting off
funding. "How, if you don't have the votes?" Obey demands. "You can
filibuster his [Bush's] supplemental request," the man replies. "There
is no filibuster in the House," Obey shoots back. "In the Senate they
can do it," the man responds. "All they need is 40 votes.". . .
"I'm sorry," he declares, "I'm the sponsor of the bill that's going to
be on the floor and that bill ends the war. And if that's not good
enough for you, you're smoking something illegal. . . I'm not going to
debate anymore. Go talk to somebody else. Goodbye."
With that, the congressman rushes into his office and slams the door
behind him.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/mar2007/obey-m12.shtml
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