Democrats pass “anti-war” bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Barry Grey, WSWS

After weeks of public posturing and behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Democrats in the House of Representatives secured passage Friday of an emergency spending bill that grants the Bush administration’s request for over $100 billion in additional funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In what amounts to a colossal political fraud, they presented their "Troop Readiness, Veterans Health and Iraq Accountability Act" as a measure to force an end to the war in Iraq by September 1, 2008. It does nothing of the kind. Even if a similar Democratic measure were to be passed in the Senate—and it will not—and the final bill were to survive a presidential veto—a political impossibility—the resulting law would do nothing to halt the current military escalation in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and would allow upwards of 75,000 US troops to remain in Iraq indefinitely...

continua / continued