Hypocrisy Watch: House Republicans Now Hate the Troops Too
By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Did you hear? Republicans hate the troops! Well, close enough. I long ago lost the capacity to be surprised by the imbalance between shame and hypocrisy in Washington, but that doesn't mean that it's not still fun to point out really screamingly egregious examples. Take, for one, Tuesday night's vote on a troop-funding bill, funding that most Republicans already supported. But they almost uniformly voted against it because they objected to a (relatively) piddling amount for the International Monetary Fund (horrors!).
Republicans, you will recall, skewered John Kerry in 2004 for voting against a troop funding bill because he didn't like some unrelated provision in it. (In fairness, he added fuel to the fire with "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it.") As Politico's Glenn Thrush aptly put it today, "Shoe, meet the other foot."
Rep. Peter King told Politico:
"The American Legion supported the bill, for God sakes," added King, who was lobbied personally by White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. "If I'm marching in the Fourth of July parade and the local American Legion guy asks me why I didn't vote for the troops, what am I going to say — I didn't want money to go to the IMF? He doesn't even know what the IMF is!"
Indeed.
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Tags: House of Representatives | Republicans | military
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Reader Comments
Defense Funding???
Has no need for "giving $4500.00" for clunkers!!!! My God, I ask what is wrong with this Congress group of Men and Women???? Some "poor".....one always adds a throw away of dollars, just spend some time reporting on where the dollars went!!!! Schlesinger, TELL THE TRUTH!!!!!! Nothing matters but the usage?????
what does an ideology have to do with superiority?
The conservatism you espouse has brought this country two costly wars, ever rising energy cost, a prescription drug benefit without funding and the almost Trillion dollar bailout of the Wall Street Titans. As for patriotism, the sheer transfer of wealth that takes place every time you fill up you gas tank for the benefit of our enemies is staggering. I advise you to look up the activites of Bain Capital. They buy distressed companies for the purpose of enriching themselves at the cost of destroying the employees. America is a great country with great people, who need to get to the work of repairing our economy and way of life. It's time for the Conservatives to put away their childish notions and engage in an honest discussion of the challenges facing our country. Turn off Rush, Fox News and spend some time in a library. I highly recommend the Constitution and President Eisenhower's farewell address for starters. The Wealth of Nations should also be on your reading list.
What goes around, comes around
Didn't an unrelated legislation regarding guns being allowed in parks get included into a credit card bill? Time for all this political crap being added to bills in order to bypass legitimate scrutiny.
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