STAND WITH OBEY

Jim Hightower's Radio Lowdown

STAND WITH OBEY

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Thank you, David Obey!

This member of congress has dared to stand up to George W and shout, “Enough is enough!” As Obey put it, “we have had it with being maneuvered and jerked around” on Bush’s misbegotten, woeful war and lies in Iraq. His is not a weak voice of frustration – Obey chairs the powerful House appropriations committee, and he is saying plainly that he will not allow Bush’s latest $200 billion supplemental war request to be approved by his committee unless it is accompanied by a plan for withdrawing America’s misused troops from Iraq.

This is exactly the kind of congressional gustiness that’s necessary to rein in Bush’s imperial presidency. The founders deliberately gave control of the pursestrings to congress. So use it! Indeed, seven out of 10 Americans say they want congress to cut Bush’s latest demand for more war funding (a number that includes nearly half of Republicans).

Obey got even tougher, calling for a war tax on the rich to pay for Bush’s misadventure, rather that letting him keep hiding the cost by putting it on our children’s credit cards. “If this war is important enough to fight,” said Obey, “then it ought to be important enough to pay for.” And, he added pointedly: “If you don’t like the cost, then shut down the war.”

Now that’s how a real congress should act! Pathetically, though, Speaker Nancy Pelosi immediately backed away from Obey’s show of strength, leaving him dangling. But we don’t have to abandon him. Call David Obey’s office to thank him and offer to help (202) 225-3365, then call Nancy Pelosi’s office to tell her to stand with Obey… and with us – (202) 225-4965.