Power of the Purse

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an outspoken critic of Bush’s Iraq policy, teamed up with Democratic Senators Joseph R. Biden of Delaware, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Carl Levin of Michigan, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, on a resolution opposing a troop build-up in Iraq. These Senators have worked together on the wording of the resolution, in order to gain bipartisan support.

Senator Hagel was critical of Bush’s new strategy in Iraq during the Foreign Relations Committee hearing last week. He said that this is the worst foreign policy disaster for the United States, since the Vietnam War. Hagel is concerned that we've been in Iraq for almost four years, thousands of American casualties, tens of thousands wounded, almost a half a trillion dollars have been spent. Feeding more young men and women into a civil war that we cannot stop or change is wrong and is devastating our military.

Hagel suggests a new course of action, which is sustainable, bipartisan and that the American people will support. He insists that the Iraqis are going to be the ones that will determine the fate of their country and that we can't do it for them. He says that we're no longer going to just quietly stand by, as we have literally done for the past four years and let more of our young Americans be thrown into this battle when they cannot change the eventual outcome.

Bush will ignore this symbolic, non-binding resolution and go forward with an increase of troops in Iraq. Last weekend, Bush claimed on national TV that Congress does not have the power to stop his proposed escalation of the war in Iraq. Former Congressman David Bonior insists that Congress does have the power to stop this escalation and it has used that power many times before, including in Vietnam, Lebanon, Nicaragua and Colombia. Congress must step up to the plate and use its power of the purse to stop Bush from escalating the war in Iraq.