[Grovenet] Ugly Politics...

[David Morelli]

On Mar 1, 2007, at 7:52 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> Oh, no, Bud! I know about "earmarks". However, from the reports I  
> read, including the ones I cited here, the R's carefully avoided  
> earmarking the funding bills for the war.
>
> They saved that for other bills, like the Hurricane Katrina funding.
>
> Did you know of any earmarks attached to the war funding bills?

Ron,

You may be exactly correct.  There is little indication that the Iraq  
War appropriation bills went to anything other than the payment for  
contracts for military goods, services and supplies.  So long as we  
consider the money spent to support Haliburton and other military  
contractors as within that scope, the R's are doing pretty well.  I  
did intentionally say that the payment went for the contracts (which  
it does) rather than say that it went for the actual goods and  
services because the reports indicate that we are paying for  
contracts that are not being fulfilled.

So, the Democrats can rightly be challenged for putting public  
interest projects in the Iraq War appropriations bill.  The  
Republicans kept the money going where it was needed, to Haliburton.

David