Diverse News 2007®

bank loans news with a different slant bank loans
American Legion: Bush Makes Right Move on Veto
    WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Sad but necessary," was
the way The National Commander of The American Legion Paul A. Morin
described President Bush's veto earlier today of an Iraq war-spending bill
that included timelines for withdrawing troops from the region.
    "The American Legion is glad that the president vetoed this
irresponsible legislation but saddened that Congress let it get this far,"
Morin said. "First the House passed a blueprint for disaster and then the
Senate passed a recipe for surrender. There can only be one commander in
chief and he should be the one to determine when the mission is complete."
    Morin said it is essential that Congress immediately pass a bill that
the president can sign -- one that contains the necessary funding but not
the deadlines. "The troops need Congress to fund their mission. It is
immoral for Congress to approve a military mission and then not want to pay
for it once the troops are in harm's way. You can not possibly say `I
support the troops but I don't want to pay for their bullets, beans and
billeting while in combat.'"

    Morin pointed out that the bill contained billions of dollars in
unrelated pork. "The congressional leadership knew that the only way they
could pass this cut-and-run proposal was to entice members to vote for
funding unrelated projects. Congress needs to pass a serious funding bill
to win the war and it needs to pass it now," Morin said.
    Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Forces Iraq, has
voiced concern that the timeline would send a message to the enemy to keep
fighting. "Just a few months ago the Senate unanimously confirmed Gen.
Petraeus to lead the Iraq mission. Let's give him a chance to succeed,"
Morin said. "We also can not send a message to our allies that we will
abandon them in their time of need. We made that mistake in Vietnam and
Somalia -- examples that were cited by Osama bin Laden himself."
    Founded in 1919, the 2.7 million-member American Legion is the nation's
preeminent service organization for veterans of the U.S. armed forces,
including active duty, National Guard and Reserves, and their families. A
powerful voice for veterans in Washington, The American Legion drafted the
original GI Bill and was instrumental in establishing the agency that today
is the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs.
terms and conditions