The Daily Background
| Obama calls for “vote after vote” on Iraq funding bill to overturn veto
by Arlen Parsa
“If the President continues to stubbornly ignore the realities in Iraq, we intend to force our colleagues in the Senate and the House to take vote after vote after vote after vote after vote after vote after vote, until we finally overcome his veto, or he understands that he has to change course!”
That was Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, speaking at the National Conference of Black Mayors Saturday in an appearance the media seems to have ignored.
At the conference, which lasted May 2nd through 6th, Obama spoke about domestic problems but the real fireworks came when he talked about Iraq. “But before we can start that [domestic] work,” Obama said, “We need to end this war in Iraq.”
“Rest assured, this veto is not the last word,” he said, referring to the veto that President Bush cast recently against a troop withdrawal bill which was passed by Congress and supported by the majority of Americans.
It is unclear what the next step for Iraq funding will be in Congress. After Bush vetoed the Democrats’ funding bill, which required all US combat troops to be withdrawn by April 1st 2008, Republicans hoped that Democrats would quickly give in and provide the president with a funding bill sans timetables.
Some Democrats, such as Congressman Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania, advocate funding the war in Iraq for only a limited amount of time, which would force the issue up again in two months when the funding expired and Congress re-examined the issue. Washington insiders, who call this the “short leash” approach, are unsure whether or not Bush would sign such a funding bill or demand one which would last for a longer period of time.
“We need sixteen Republican votes in the Senate to over-ride a veto,” Obama reminded the audience. In the House of Representatives, Democrats would need to pick up almost 70 votes for the 290 required to over-ride a presidential veto.
“I’m not going to call out names,” Obama said, “But there’s a Republican right here in Louisiana who needs to vote to end this war,” referring to Louisiana Senator David Vitter who voted against the bill which would require combat troops to begin withdrawal in October 2007. “This is real. Sixteen votes, and we can turn the page on this war.”
