Thune Says GOP Now Wants To Make Sure Spending For Iraq And Afghanistan Wars Is Offset
Since the Republicans lost control of Congress and the White House, they have conveniently decided it’s time to rein in spending after helping President Bush bequeath the current administration with a more than $1 trillion deficit.
Part of that campaign has been to target the once sacrosanct emergency war funding. Republicans made a fuss last year because the war funding bill contained money for the IMF. Last month, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) said war funding needs to be paid for. Today on ABC’s Top Line, Sen. John Thune (R-ND) indicated that most Republicans are starting to hold this view:
THUNE: Republicans are increasingly, I think, dug in on the issue of making sure that new spending is offset. … Frankly, I think that there is even a growing consensus among Republicans that we need to start budgeting for this, we need to start figuring out how to pay for it. And I think that’s kind of the majority view among Republicans now.
The Huffington Post’s Ryan Grim has noted the obvious hypocrisy here:
The indecision on the vote from Coburn’s colleagues is a stark contrast from the wars’ early years, when President Bush’s war supplementals flew through GOP-controlled Congresses and any opposition was portrayed as unpatriotic. Cries of “Support The Troops!” met any lawmaker who questioned the direction or the purpose of either the Iraq or Afghanistan war.
The sudden 180 degree which on many issues, including funding to finish up the major battles against terrorism in Afghanistan, makes reasonable Americans wonder if conservatives have any genuine convictions. They seem to stand for whatever nut brained scheme that will make Republicans look good even when it is at the expense the troops and of good governance for and by the people.
Down And Out? Bill McCollum Hits The Skids In FL-GOV
Republicans in Florida seem to really like Rick Scott - the Medicare fraud criminal. McCollum is a long time insider - once a lobbyist - Florida conservative really know how to pick some loathsome candidates.
Right-wing harmony: BP escrow account is "a slush fund"
Right-wing media figures have responded to the decision by BP and the Obama administration to establish an escrow account funded by BP to pay claims arising from the Gulf oil spill by calling the account a "slush fund." Conservative commentators have habitually labeled progressive initiatives "a slush fund."Right-wing conservative pundits are the yellow rags of journalism. They throw out lots of accusations everyday about wacky conspiracies and never offer any proof. Repeating a lie over and over again is exactly what most criminals do.
Right-wing choir sings: BP escrow account is "a slush fund"
Limbaugh: "[T]his is going to be used as a little miniature slush fund." On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh claimed, "When we last heard from the leader of the regime, he said that an independent, third-party person will be handling the $20 billion payout to people in the Gulf of Mexico." After noting that Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation Kenneth Feinberg would oversee the escrow fund, Limbaugh said, "The guy works for Obama, he's a czar, but somehow this thing is going to be sloughed off as some sort of independent agency he's going to head up? How stupid do they think we are, folks?"
