Manchester, IA (December 29, 2007) - Sen. Joe Biden issued a statement following President Bush's veto yesterday of the Defense Authorization Conference Report:
"It is shocking that this White House thinks it's more important to shield the Iraqi Government from lawsuits than to meet the needs of our troops. President Bush has said for months that Congress must immediately support our troops and that any delay was unacceptable. Now he's vetoed legislation that provides a pay increase to our troops and reforms the health care system for our veterans in the wake of the Walter Reed scandal. Why? Because it doesn't do enough to protect the Iraqi government.
"This president's priorities are exactly backwards. Our troops must come first. The men and women on our front lines and our wounded warriors back home will have a hard time understanding what the President has done. And they're right - this is outrageous. The most important promise a president must keep is to our troops. This president has broken that promise."
Bush said Defense Authorization is "A Promise to Fund our Troops in Combat." In a radio address, Bush said, "This week, Congress considered a defense authorization bill. An authorization bill is a pledge to spend money. Under such a bill, Congress will make a promise to fund our troops in combat."
Bush: Funding the Troops is the "First Priority." In a radio address, Bush said, "Congress's first priority should be to provide the funds and flexibility to keep our troops safe and help them protect our Nation."
2 comments:
Here is a Message from One of Our Troops , Please Read This.
WELCOME TO IOWA VETERANS FOR BIDEN
When I was mobilized with the Iowa National Guard's 1st Battalion of
the 133rd Infantry based in Waterloo for Operation Iraqi Freedom in
October of 2005, I knew that we were embarking on a long and
difficult mission. After being extended four months, and mobilized
for a total of 22 months, we returned to Iowa in July 2007 to an
emotional homecoming.
More than 600 of us were part of the longest serving unit since the
invasion of Iraq in 2003. During our 16 months on the ground in
Iraq, we witnessed massive waste by government contractors who
abused their no-bid contracts with the Pentagon. While private
contractors bled the U. S. Treasury with little oversight, soldiers
and Marines died because they lacked proper equipment and the newest
life saving vehicles.
Back home, we were aware that only one Democratic candidate for
President, Senator Joe Biden, kept his promises to us that he would
fight for the funds needed to produce Mine Resistant Ambush
Protected (MRAP) vehicles which dramatically reduce the number of
casualties from improvised explosive devices (IED's). When other
presidential candidates were going back on their word to support
those of us in harm's way, only Senator Biden remained steadfast in
his support, regardless of any political consequences.
While still on the ground in Iraq, many of us from Iowa resolved
that we would go back home and stand up for Senator Biden " just as
he stood up for us on the floor of the United State Senate. We want
to help make sure that our troops still in Iraq will have the best
Commander in Chief possible on inauguration day in 2009.
We also support Senator Biden because he is the only candidate with
the vision and the courage to come forward with a comprehensive and
realistic plan to exit Iraq without leaving the region behind in
mass disorder. It is clear that we need new leadership and a new
approach to allow us to start withdrawing our troops.
I hope that you and thousands of other Iowa veterans will join with
me in working to nominate and elect Senator Joe Biden as our 44th
President. No one else possesses his depth of knowledge and
experience in foreign affairs as well as the vision for restoring
America's proper place in the world community. Please join us in a
noble cause.
Sincerely,
James D. Mowrer
State Coordinator, Iowa Veterans for Biden.
Thank you for your blog. Joe Biden '08!
Here is a Message from One of Our Troops , Please Read This.
WELCOME TO IOWA VETERANS FOR BIDEN
When I was mobilized with the Iowa National Guard's 1st Battalion of
the 133rd Infantry based in Waterloo for Operation Iraqi Freedom in
October of 2005, I knew that we were embarking on a long and
difficult mission. After being extended four months, and mobilized
for a total of 22 months, we returned to Iowa in July 2007 to an
emotional homecoming.
More than 600 of us were part of the longest serving unit since the
invasion of Iraq in 2003. During our 16 months on the ground in
Iraq, we witnessed massive waste by government contractors who
abused their no-bid contracts with the Pentagon. While private
contractors bled the U. S. Treasury with little oversight, soldiers
and Marines died because they lacked proper equipment and the newest
life saving vehicles.
Back home, we were aware that only one Democratic candidate for
President, Senator Joe Biden, kept his promises to us that he would
fight for the funds needed to produce Mine Resistant Ambush
Protected (MRAP) vehicles which dramatically reduce the number of
casualties from improvised explosive devices (IED's). When other
presidential candidates were going back on their word to support
those of us in harm's way, only Senator Biden remained steadfast in
his support, regardless of any political consequences.
While still on the ground in Iraq, many of us from Iowa resolved
that we would go back home and stand up for Senator Biden " just as
he stood up for us on the floor of the United State Senate. We want
to help make sure that our troops still in Iraq will have the best
Commander in Chief possible on inauguration day in 2009.
We also support Senator Biden because he is the only candidate with
the vision and the courage to come forward with a comprehensive and
realistic plan to exit Iraq without leaving the region behind in
mass disorder. It is clear that we need new leadership and a new
approach to allow us to start withdrawing our troops.
I hope that you and thousands of other Iowa veterans will join with
me in working to nominate and elect Senator Joe Biden as our 44th
President. No one else possesses his depth of knowledge and
experience in foreign affairs as well as the vision for restoring
America's proper place in the world community. Please join us in a
noble cause.
Sincerely,
James D. Mowrer
State Coordinator, Iowa Veterans for Biden.
Thank you for your blog. Joe Biden '08!
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