Fully Funding the Destruction of Iraq

May 2, 2005

The Senate vote was 99 to zero. Without a whisper, the Senators unanimously voted to give Bush another 81 billion dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just as if the weapons of mass destruction had not been a lie! Just as if every lie produced to start these wars suddenly had became true!

No votes against. Not from any of those Democratic senators who actually did call a lie a lie–during the past election campaign. Only a half-year ago–before the election–some Democrats made noises as if they opposed the lies, opposed the invasion, opposed the cold calculated destruction of Iraq.

But now, every Democratic senator joined every Republican senator to keep the money–and the destruction–flowing.

Some excuse their vote by claiming that the U.S. has an obligation to stay and fix things. As if they have suddenly lost their minds, and now imagine the Bush administration as a friend to Iraq!

No, the senators aren’t fooled. They are funding more of the same. More humiliation, terrorizing and slaughter of innocent civilians. More chaos in basic services like water, electricity, medicine. More child malnutrition and death. More phony elections, deeper divisions among the population–and more oil flowing into the tankers of Exxon, Shell, and Chevron. More U.S. military bases from which to control the people of the whole region.

The U.S. obligation to the people of Iraq begins with the immediate, unconditional exit of U.S. troops from their country. The easiest way in the world to force that exit is to cut off the money. But no senator stood for that.

If there’s one obligation the senators unanimously agree on, it’s their "obligation" to the Exxons and Halliburtons of the world.