The Belgravia Dispatch: V-I Day!

October 04, 2006

V-I Day!

Even as the Bush administration urges Americans to stay the course in Iraq, Republicans in Congress have put down a quiet marker in the apparent hope that V-I Day might be only months away.
Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital “for commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not surprisingly, the money was not spent.

Now Congressional Republicans are saying, in effect, maybe next year. A paragraph written into spending legislation and approved by the Senate and House allows the $20 million to be rolled over into 2007.

The original legislation empowered the president to designate “a day of celebration” to commemorate the success of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Ladies and Gentlemen: Your tax dollars at work! Don't get me wrong. If we won, I'd be in favor of much more than 20MM being spent to flood Broadway, with the biggest parade since WWII, to congratulate our heroic troops. But it is just not happening. Not in '06, and not in '07. Certainly not with the current team in place, still refusing to make significant strategic re-adjustments, not least by keeping a dismally failed war leader in the E-Ring.

Posted by Gregory at October 4, 2006 01:57 PM

Comments

Well said. Republicans are looking to the 2008 election with this maneuver, and don't really care that Iraq burns.

Posted by: Dan at October 4, 2006 04:44 PM | Permalink to this comment

At least they could use the money to help support disabled or injured veterans, or veterans and their families who are suffering from economic hardship upon their return, instead of keeping it in the kitty for some imaginary victory bash.

Posted by: Tim at October 4, 2006 05:25 PM | Permalink to this comment

Don't worry, there is not going to be any victory parade for Iraq, Afghanistan, etec., any time soon. How could there by? If we have won how could the Bushies continue to justify all their warrantless monitoring of people's phones, e-mails etec., not to mention holding people indefinitely without trial at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere and have interrogators torture these prisoners?
Remember:
WAR IS PEACE!

Posted by: David All at October 4, 2006 05:54 PM | Permalink to this comment

Five or ten or fifteen years from now, expect guys who got mangled in Iraq to bear the brunt of "necessary" budget cuts forced by the recklessness of the current Congress.

Posted by: sglover at October 4, 2006 06:33 PM | Permalink to this comment

I was in Washington for the victory parade after the Gulf War in 1991. It was a nice spectacle, with lots of good visuals. It didn't have quite the political impact one might have thought, though.

Posted by: Zathras at October 5, 2006 05:12 AM | Permalink to this comment

So aren't you embarassed you voted for this group? I don't mean chagrined, irritated, or annoyed, but truly, deeply embarassed or what it says about you if you pulled the lever for these bastards.

Probably twice.

Posted by: Richard Bottoms at October 5, 2006 03:22 PM | Permalink to this comment

V-I day? The question should be who lost Iraq?

Posted by: Will J. at October 6, 2006 07:58 PM | Permalink to this comment

	« Ditch Denny, For Starters... \| Main \| Condi's Trip » October 04, 2006 V-I Day! NYT: Even as the Bush administration urges Americans to stay the course in Iraq, Republicans in Congress have put down a quiet marker in the apparent hope that V-I Day might be only months away. Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital “for commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not surprisingly, the money was not spent. Now Congressional Republicans are saying, in effect, maybe next year. A paragraph written into spending legislation and approved by the Senate and House allows the $20 million to be rolled over into 2007. The original legislation empowered the president to designate “a day of celebration” to commemorate the success of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Ladies and Gentlemen: Your tax dollars at work! Don't get me wrong. If we won, I'd be in favor of much more than 20MM being spent to flood Broadway, with the biggest parade since WWII, to congratulate our heroic troops. But it is just not happening. Not in '06, and not in '07. Certainly not with the current team in place, still refusing to make significant strategic re-adjustments, not least by keeping a dismally failed war leader in the E-Ring. Posted by Gregory at October 4, 2006 01:57 PM Comments Well said. Republicans are looking to the 2008 election with this maneuver, and don't really care that Iraq burns. Posted by: Dan at October 4, 2006 04:44 PM \| Permalink to this comment At least they could use the money to help support disabled or injured veterans, or veterans and their families who are suffering from economic hardship upon their return, instead of keeping it in the kitty for some imaginary victory bash. Posted by: Tim at October 4, 2006 05:25 PM \| Permalink to this comment Don't worry, there is not going to be any victory parade for Iraq, Afghanistan, etec., any time soon. How could there by? If we have won how could the Bushies continue to justify all their warrantless monitoring of people's phones, e-mails etec., not to mention holding people indefinitely without trial at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere and have interrogators torture these prisoners? Remember: WAR IS PEACE! Posted by: David All at October 4, 2006 05:54 PM \| Permalink to this comment At least they could use the money to help support disabled or injured veterans, or veterans and their families who are suffering from economic hardship upon their return, instead of keeping it in the kitty for some imaginary victory bash. Five or ten or fifteen years from now, expect guys who got mangled in Iraq to bear the brunt of "necessary" budget cuts forced by the recklessness of the current Congress. Posted by: sglover at October 4, 2006 06:33 PM \| Permalink to this comment I was in Washington for the victory parade after the Gulf War in 1991. It was a nice spectacle, with lots of good visuals. It didn't have quite the political impact one might have thought, though. Posted by: Zathras at October 5, 2006 05:12 AM \| Permalink to this comment So aren't you embarassed you voted for this group? I don't mean chagrined, irritated, or annoyed, but truly, deeply embarassed or what it says about you if you pulled the lever for these bastards. Probably twice. Posted by: Richard Bottoms at October 5, 2006 03:22 PM \| Permalink to this comment V-I day? The question should be who lost Iraq? Posted by: Will J. at October 6, 2006 07:58 PM \| Permalink to this comment		About Belgravia Dispatch Gregory Djerejian, an international lawyer and business executive, comments intermittently on global politics, finance & diplomacy at this site. The views expressed herein are solely his own and do not represent those of any organization. More About the Author Email the Author Recent Entries Lunch w/ the FT... 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