The war tax is a great idea! I don't know why I've never thought of it. Of course, it needs to be a tax against the richest Americans, particularly Haliburton, oil companies, and private mercenaries who are after all the ones most benefiting from the war.

Maybe we could set up a national trust fund that people who support the war could contribute to as a way of "putting thier money where thier mouth is". I can think of a number of right-wing blowhards who should be the first to contribute.

How is it that the republican "conservatives" have cheerfully supported the huge deficits created by the war when they are supposedly the ones who are concerned about "fiscal responsibility"? I wonder if it could be that they expect that these huge deficits will set the stage for another right-wing attack on social programs, i.e., we just can't afford them anymore? Could it be that the neocons are bankrupting the country on purpose? When Bush came to power, we had a balanced budget, and plenty of money to pay for our social programs. Mr. Greenspan, by his own words, was so worried we might actually run a surplus that he recommended two tax cuts. It never occurred to him, apparently, that we might spend any surpluses on programs to benefit America, like universal health care, the reconstruction of our infrastructure, quality education for all, the elimination of poverty, new technology for clean energy, the war on crime, foriegn aid to poor countries, or a whole host of other worthwhile projects. Or even as a contingency for things like a stupid war in Iraq!

Anyway, paying for the war by enacting tax increases on those who benefit most is a wonderful idea. Here's hoping it gets done - fat chance!!!

Yadda, Yadda, Yadda

Since the Iraq occupation's purpose is to transfer ownership of Iraqi oil to the multinational oil companies, most of the tax could be paid by them. The rest of the tax could come from taxing the end user of the oil.

The DNC will fight this tooth and nail since they try so hard to emulate Republicans.

Didn't I just read a report on Yahoo that the democrats caved yet again and voted Bush all the money he wants for the war? It stated in part: "Twarted in efforts to bring troops home from Iraq, senate democrats on Monday helped pass a defense policy bill authorizing $150 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vote was 92-3."
Same old, same old . . .

I, for one, am ready to pay any political price for this Congress going against the Bush Administration. I don't care if it guarantees a loss in the next round, these twits need to stand up and stand for something. Screw this piecemeal shit!

How many people will die in Iraq while the Democrats play political games with the issue? Maybe 1000 Americans? Maybe a 100,000 Iraqis?

What a convenient date to pick for the Democrats? Please Mr. Bush, end this war on your shift and don't dump it on us. And as always, the withdrawal date proposed by the Democrats just slides out into the future.

And of course, since the Democrats goal is to continue to fund the war, what this proposal really is is a distraction. They are going to fully fund more of Bush's war. This is the fig leaf they want to put over it. Its doubtful the Democrats would favor a withdrawal then either. They'd just find some other excuse to keep funneling our tax dollars into more war, death and destruction.

Why on earth would we want to stay there another 15 months? And again, how many people die in that time? If this is the best the Democrats can do, then the blood of those people is clearly on the hands of the Democrats.

Of course, this is from that scum Obey who calls us all 'idiot liberals!' right to the face of a Gold Star mother in the halls of congress. What a piece of @#$@#.

During WWII, FDR and the Democrats passed special war profits taxes to reclaim for the war effort some of the extra profits corporations were making from the war.

Note today that the Democrats bright idea is to raise taxes on all the INDIVIDUAL income taxes and not touch corporate taxes to pay for the war.

Just a nice picture of how far away from the party of FDR the Democrats have become. Protecting corporate profits is now their top priority.

Why should the Pentagon give up a fist full of dollars,you got to be dreaming.

This isn't good any way anyone looks at it. Good way to get Republican's elected since Democrats are well known for taxing.

The other issue is, why should I pay for corporate warfare? The income tax should be completely eliminated not add taxes!!!!! NO MORE CORPORATE HANDOUTS ALREADY!

This goes to show neither side is supportive of American citizens. It is all politics at the expense of others. Purely immoral and unethical in my opinion!

Corporate handouts = death

Someone should make a poster of the above picture and equate it with income taxes.

So instead of cutting off funding for the war, the Dems want to increase taxes to pay for it. Great. They're going to need more taxes if they're going to stay in Iraq forever.

Bush will leave office but the war won't. It will become all of our problem.

The democrats won't pull out by 2009, if ever. They simply do not have the spine to withstand the constant bleating of "cut and run, cut and run!" from the radical right.

The Bill does not force Bush to adhere to the timeline, and it lacks teeth in general. No wonder it passed so easily.

I'm still hoping that the Dems will go after Gonzales. What's up with that? Out of sight, out of mind?

This country really need to get some leadership in D.C. which isn't totally beholden to the M.I.C. and AIPAC. Our country is large, many pieces of our economy and culture are withering through lack of representation. We've got too many politicians who see only oil and Israel.

If those democrats want to believe that this war is worth fighting, give them a gun, send them to Iraq and let them fight. Then, if they can still say that this war is worth fighting, I might listen to what they say. With any luck.......

Paul Bramscher, you are darn tootin, this country is large. Too damn big. What do expect from empire? small? I just keep thinking that if the States would secede, even groups of them, we'd have a better chance at self government. Heck California and Oregon, plus Washington would be a great start.

The Democrats won't end the war in 2009 because they don't want the war to end. They are financed by the same segment of society that finances the Republicans. And that segment is making money from the war and suffering almost no causalities. So they don't want the war to end.

Reid and Pelosi made two promises last election. I don't know who they made them to, but my guess would be they made them to big fundraisers who helped to finance the Democrats. One promise was announced publicly months before the election. That was when Reid and Pelosi said in unison that there would be no impeachment. The second promise was finessed during the 2006 campaign. The Democrats campaigned against the incompetence of how the war was being conducted without really ever say they opposed the war. Then, on the day after the election, Reid and Pelosi announced the second promise, which was that war funding would not be cut by this Congress.

It isn't spinelessness. It isn't fear of an attack add. Its the Democrats doing what they promised to do. The rest, like this BS of a 2009 withdrawal date is just a smokescreen they lay down. They know their base, and the nation wants the war to end. So they have to create the illusion of trying to end the war while simultaneously voting to fully fund it for another year. This BS talk of a weak deadline is just a magicians patter to distract you from what the other hand is doing. And what the other hand is doing is fully funding the war for yet another year.

This is what you get when you vote Democrat. The spineless myth is there to give you false hope that someday in the future the Democrats might represent you. But they don't. They don't today. They won't tomorrow. Its just BS to con you into voting Democrat one more time.
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Come to Denver in Aug. 2008. Let the Democrats hear what you think of them in person!

I'm afraid I'll have to (gulp!) agree with curmudgeon99 on this one.

end the war by january 2009. what's the rush dems? what lethal idiots you are! do you have any idea how much death and mayhem happen every day over there? try this: no apprpriation bill passes until the war ends. at which time you won't need it so we still won't pass it.