U.S. Plan for Iraq Funds Worries Lawmaker

[TexasBushwhacker]

By KEN GUGGENHEIM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's plans to divert $3.46 billion in Iraq (news - web sites) reconstruction funds for security could increase dangers in the long run, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Wednesday.

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., also said the slow pace of spending on reconstruction "means that we are failing to fully take advantage of one of our most potent tools to influence the direction of Iraq."

State Department officials appeared before Lugar's panel seeking lawmakers' support for the shift of funds, which needs congressional approval. The proposal would cover almost of a fifth of the $18.4 billion approved by Congress last year, mostly for water, electricity and other public works projects. The money was part of an $87 billion package for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

<snip>

Under the State Department's proposal, spending for police, border patrols and other security measures would be boosted by $1.8 billion to a total of $5 billion. There would be 45,000 more police, 16,000 more border patrol guards and 20 additional National Guard battalions.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&e=2&u=/ap/20040915/ap_on_go_co/congress_iraq_spending_7

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Bush is even getting questioned by his own "team". It's about damn time. Maybe they're starting to realize that he's becoming a liability with his administration's incompetence. Now if we can just get Joe Voter to understand what this all means.

Does anyone know how many guardsmen are in a battalion, on average?

[Atman]

1. Lugar isn't paying attention

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., also said the slow pace of spending on reconstruction "means that we are failing to fully take advantage of one of our most potent tools to influence the direction of Iraq."

Gauranteed Lugar doesn't know much more than the crap the admin is telling us. Think about it...he is a busy man, spending all day at fund raisers, golf courses, Bush rallies. He gets a briefing every now and then that he has an aide further synopsize for him. He probably thinks we're still over there painting schools and building playgrounds.

WTF is going through this man's head? What is there to reconstruct, and HOW, pray tell? You can no longer pay contractors enough to work there, even under no-bid contracts. Even Halliburton wants out, and is looking for more creative ways for Bush to funnel money directly from the Treasury to Dick Cheney without all the bloodshed.

Lugar is fucking idiot.

[gratuitous]

2. Can the administration change the law?

I thought only Congress could authorize payments out of the Treasury, and when they had designated funds for a certain purpose, those funds had to be spent on that purpose or returned to the Treasury? The Execuvite branch doesn't have the constitutional authority to overrule the Legislative branch, does it?

Or am I just talking about one of the "quaint" provisions from an old document that is no longer operative?

[Karenina]

3. Another GRAND THEFT

and NO ACCOUNTABILITY. :SIGH: