Bush Waves Ban On Permanent Iraq Bases

[Echo In Light]

Bush Waves Ban On Permanent Iraq Bases

President Bush yesterday signed the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act after initially rejecting Congress’s first version because it would have allegedly opened the Iraqi government to “expensive lawsuits.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/29/signing-statement-iraq/

[Squatch]

1. More importantly, the FY08 NDAA authorizes continuation of enlistment

and reenlistment bonuses as well as DoD-wide pay raises.

:thumbsup:

[Echo In Light]

2. Killing is their business and business is good

[Squatch]

3. Cram it.

[Echo In Light]

4. Oh, that's an inaccurate statement? Truth sucks, I guess

[Squatch]

6. As I demonstrate in post #5, inaccuracies are your Forté

[Echo In Light]

14. ...and what have I said here that was "inaccurate?"

[Squatch]

5. OP is wrong:

From the FY 2008 NDAA:

SEC. 1531. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES RELATING TO IRAQ.

No funds...may be obligated or expended for a purpose as follows:

(1) To establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq.

[EFerrari]

7. He issued a signing statement. n/t

[Squatch]

8. Congress still retains the "power of the purse"

and this tenet still holds:

"The established rule is that the expensiture of public funds is proper only when authorized by Congress, not that public funds may be expended unless prohibited by Congress" US v. MacCollum

[EFerrari]

9. Not in practice apparently, Squatch. I heard that the real estate

that big embassy is on is 2/3s as big as the Mall. This is davidswanson's thread on the ss:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2790966

[EFerrari]

10. I wonder if those "expensive lawsuits" would be reparations for

our personnel who were tortured in captivity.

[flashl]

11. Seems like gamesmanship of redefinition or attempt to legalize what's already done

April 06, 2006
Permanent Bases in Iraq: Where Politics and Law Hit a Brick Wall

Over the last few months, the media have reported that the Pentagon is busy constructing what appear to be “enduring” (i.e., permanent) bases in Iraq. A recent Associated Press story noted that in 2005-2006, one billion dollars had been requested or approved for building or improving bases in Iraq. The Supplemental Appropriations act itself includes a request for $348 million for further base and other construction.

Earlier stories spoke of the U.S. retaining possibly 14 bases of the 108 set up around the country. (Thirty-four of these 108 have been “returned” to Iraqi control to date.) Of these 14, four locations as enduring bases have been specifically cited:

Balad Air Base, some 40 miles north of Baghdad, where two million cubic feet of concrete has been laid for runways and parking aprons for C-5 and C-130 airplanes and for as many as 120 helicopters. Facilities will accommodate 25,000 troops in its 15 square miles;

Al Assad Air Base, 180 miles west of Baghdad and ten miles from the Syrian border. Covering 19 square miles, it is home to 17,000 U.S. military and civilians;

Ali Air Base at Tallil, between Baghdad and Basra, home to a new mess hall able to seat 6,000.

Al Qayyarah Air Base in the north near Mosul

Read Full Text

[EFerrari]

12. You'd think one of these geniuses would pick up a history book

and see how well occupation has worked out in the past.

[flashl]

13. Especially in the ME. nt