On Thursday May 17^th, the House passed the H.R. 1585, the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Authorization bill.  This legislation enjoyed broad bipartisan support, passing by a vote of 397 to 27.  The measure included critical provisions to support our men and women in uniform and their families, yet now the Administration says it opposes the bill’s modest pay raise for our troops and a $40 increase for service members’ survivor benefits.  This is outrageous! 

The Administration’s handling of the war has been a disaster at every turn.  It misled the American people about the need to invade Iraq and botched the post-war planning and execution.  It failed to put enough troops on the ground or to provide them with the equipment they needed to safely do their jobs.  It bungled the diplomatic management of the war, losing international support and failing to bring together the warring political groups within Iraq.  This Administration’s arrogance and incompetence is unprecedented, yet it continues to promote the status quo in Iraq, resisting repeated calls from the American people for a new direction in Iraq and insisting that the Congress continue to give it a blank check to fund the war. 

The Administration’s logic escapes me.  It appears to believe that there are unlimited amounts of taxpayer dollars to fund our continued unending involvement in Iraq but not enough money to give our men and women in uniform a much deserved raise and their families a little extra support in their time of need?  Is this really how the Bush Administration supports our troops? 

Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.