Handsome accordion player is North Korea's kingmaker: What We're Reading Now
Dec 23, 2011
IRAN
Iran Navy to Hold War Games Near Crucial Sea Lanes
Rick Gladstone, The New York Times -- December 22, 2011
Iran put neighbors on notice Thursday that it was about to conduct vast naval exercises in the Arabian Sea, including war games near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for international oil traffic.
Bill Clinton says US must mull all options on Iran
Associated Foreign Press -- December 22, 2011
Former US president Bill Clinton said in a television interview to be shown Wednesday that President Barack Obama should not rule out military action on Iran, but there might be other ways "to skin the cat."
NORTH KOREA
North Korea Warns South to Respect Late Leader
Voice of America -- December 23, 2011
North Korea accused the South Friday of an intolerable response to the death of supreme leader Kim Jong Il by expressing sympathy for the North Korean people, but deciding not to send a government delegation to Kim's funeral next week.
Handsome accordion player is North Korea's kingmaker
Jack Kim, Reuters -- December 23, 2011
The power behind the throne in North Korea was a dashing accordion player in his youth, whose life changed when he met the daughter of autocratic founder Kim Il-Sung at university and wooed and married her despite the dictator's opposition.
Key amendments to Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill
Jul 08, 2011
(with links to actual votes)
New nuclear bomber: Offered by Welch (D-VT)-Paul (R-TX)-Woolsey (D-CA) to eliminate $297 million in funding for a new nuclear weapons bomber.
Defeated 98-322
Afghanistan war: Offered by Lee (D-CA), Nadler; Woolsey; Olver; Stark; Jesse Jackson, Jr.; Honda; Conyers; Grijalva; Paul; and Amash to cut $33 billion in order to end the funding for combat operations in Afghanistan but provide funds to bring our troops home in a safe and orderly manner.
Defeated 97-322
Afghanistan war: Offered by Garamendi (D-CA): To cut $20.9 billion to wind down the war in a responsible way over the next 18 months so that at the end of the 18 months-- December 31, 2012--that there would be no more than 25,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Defeated 133-295
Pakistan reimbursement: Offered by Poe (R-TX): To cut $1 billion from the reimbursement account that the United States pays for the war on terror to reimburse Pakistan and other countries.
Defeated 131-297
In praise of the House Republican leadership
Jul 06, 2011
I know, I know, it is man bites dog.
I certainly have been critical of the House Republican leadership and their domination by retrograde tea partiers.
Yet the leadership, Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor and the rest (take a deep breath) deserve praise for fulfilling a key promise.
That is, liberalizing (if they don’t choke on that word) the House floor procedures.
Today, the House of Representatives takes up amendments to the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill.
Under an open rule.
Defense Appropriations Bill approved by House Appropriations Committee
Jun 15, 2011
Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill. The bill contains $530 billion in funding for non-war programs and accounts, an increase of $17 billion over FY 2011 and a decrease of approximately $9 billion from the President’s request.
In addition to $530 billion in base spending, the bill contains $118.7 billion in spending for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, $842 million above the President’s request and $39 billion less than FY 2011, a decrease due to the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq. This total includes $12.8 billion for the training and equipping of Afghan Security forces, and $1.1 billion for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund (PCCF), which has moved from the subcommittee on State/Foreign Operations to the subcommittee on defense.
The total in the bill is $648.7 billion. Other portions of defense spending are contained in the Military Construction and Energy and Water Appropriations Bills.
The bill is expected to be considered by the full House of Representatives the week of June 20. It is expected that germane amendments will be permitted.
House Acts on U.S. Military Engagement Abroad – A Bit Less Cautiously
Jun 07, 2011
By Executive Director John Isaacs
Color me surprised.
I recently wrote about votes in the House of Representatives signaling rising discontent with the use of military force abroad – but also pointed out that Members of Congress are not ready to take back the right to declare war.
The House came close to a majority vote against the Afghanistan War for the first time when it narrowly rejected (by a vote of 204 – 215) an amendment by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC). While the bill called for a withdrawal plan, it did not call for cutting off funding for the war.
At the time, I expressed skepticism that a resolution offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) to force the removal of U.S. armed forces from Libya would to get into the triple digits of support.
Wrong! Kucinich received 148 votes, including an incredibly high number of 87 Republicans. It used to be Kucinich was toxic to Republicans – and to many Democrats. No longer.
In fact, a vote on the Kucinich resolution was delayed in the House so that Speaker John Boehner could put forward an alternative resolution to draw Republican votes from Kucinich.
The Boehner resolution rebuked the President for his Libya policy, but did not require a troop withdrawal. His resolution was adopted by a stunning 268-145.
Cynics in Washington, D.C. – is there anyone but cynics here – naturally assume that many Republicans are willing to repudiate a Democratic President but would have slavishly followed a Republican.
Final vote on McGovern (D-MA)-Jones (R-NC) amendment on Afghanistan
May 30, 2011
Vote on McGovern (MA), Jones (NC), Loretta Sanchez (CA), Amash (MI), Lewis (GA), Paul (TX), Cicilline (RI), Welch VT) amendment requiring a plan and a timeframe for an accelerated transition of military operations from U.S. to Afghan authorities, and other provisions. Defeated 204-215 (26 Republicans voting aye, 8 Democrats voting no)
Democrats: 178 aye, 8 no
Republicans: 26 aye, 207 no
12 not voting
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll373.xml
---- YES 204 ---
Ackerman
Amash
Andrews
Baca
Baldwin
Bartlett
Bass (CA)
Bass (NH)
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boswell
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown (FL)
Butterfield
Campbell
Capps
Capuano
House Acts on U.S. Military Engagement Abroad -- Cautiously
May 30, 2011
Last week, the House adopted amendments to the annual Defense Authorization Bill signaling rising discontent with the use of military force abroad – but also demonstrated the limits of its bravery.
These votes came as a number of Members of Congress denounced the Obama Administration for ignoring the War Powers Act enacted in 1973 over President Richard Nixon’s veto.
Most significantly, the House came close to a majority vote against the Afghanistan War for the first time when it narrowly rejected 204 – 215 an amendment by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) to require a timetable to bring American troops home from that country.
Over 90% of the Democrats, who had previously been split on the war, voted for the withdrawal, including the modestly hawkish House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD). Only eight Democrats dissented. Twenty six Republicans joined with the Democratic majority, a significant pickup in a party that has tended to support the wars.
Last year, a similar McGovern-Jones won only 162 votes at a time when Democrats dominated the House.
Key House Votes Today or Tomorrow on Bringing U.S. Troops Home from Afghanistan
May 25, 2011
The House of Representatives is expected today or tomorrow to hold the most important votes on bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan since the war began 10 years ago.
When President Obama sent 30,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan, he promised that the U.S. would begin withdrawal of those forces by July 2011 with all combat troops out by 2014.
The outcome of these House votes could influence the President’s decision in July on the first troop withdrawals and indicate rising congressional opposition to the large American troop presence in Afghanistan.
And with these votes, Congress has its best chance in a decade to bring the U.S. troops home.
HR 1735, the Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act
May 06, 2011
McGovern (D-MA)-Jones (R-NC) bill
Importance of this measure:
This is the first truly bi-partisan measure in the House of Representatives that go beyond the usual "anti-Afghan war suspects." It is important to break into the new Republican freshmen caucus and this letter does that.
Kudos to Representatives Jim McGovern and Walter Jones for their effort, which will help swell the political opposition to the war.
Purpose of the bill:
1) Require the President to transmit to Congress a plan with timeframe and completion date on the transition of U.S. military and security operations in Afghanistan to the Government of Afghanistan;
2) Require the President to report quarterly (i.e. every 90 days) on the status of that transition, and the human and financial costs of remaining in Afghanistan, including increased deficit and public debt; and
3) Included in those quarterly reports, the President must disclose to Congress the savings in 5-year, 10-year and 20-year time periods were the U.S. to accelerate redeployment and conclude the transition of all U.S. military and security operations to Afghanistan within 180 days (i.e. 6 months).
Congress approves FY 2011 appropriations - Finally!
Apr 15, 2011
Speaker John Boehner
The deed is done.
More than six months after the beginning of Fiscal Year 2011, Congress has finally approved funding for the government through September 30.
It took an 11th hour agreement this past Friday and then it took bi-partisan votes in the House and Senate yesterday to make it happen.
It was a messy process, and remained messy yesterday.
While the compromise agreement was touted as $38 billion in cuts, there were, as usual, some squirrely cuts to smooth the deal.
It turns out that the hard-won deal included about $13 - $18 billion of cuts that were kind of smoke and mirror reductions, cuts of money that would not have been spent in any case.
In addition, the Congressional Budget Office analyzed the agreement, and concluded and the net effect of the reductions in this fiscal year is $352 million in outlays. There the problem is that the agreement covered budget authority (the authority to spend money) while the money actually spent each fiscal year is called outlays.
