by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

“Simply put, I cannot vote for another $165 billion to give President Bush a blank check”

By Dianne Feinstein
United State Senator
California

Simply put, I cannot vote for another $165 billion to give President Bush a blank check and fund the continuation of the war in Iraq, without condition, for over another year.

This is a difficult decision and not one I take lightly. But I believe that the time has come for Congress to exercise the power of the purse and bring this war to a conclusion.

I am a strong supporter of our troops in the field. They have done a tremendous job under difficult circumstances. They weren't greeted as liberators as Vice President Cheney said they would be.

Instead, they found themselves targets in an internecine battle, whose roots go back hundreds of years. They found themselves in the crossfire between Sunni insurgents and Shia extremists. They've done everything asked of them, with the courage and dedication that we expect from our service men and women.

But President Bush has never provided an exit strategy for Iraq. He has never laid out a plan for bringing our troops home.

by DFA Staff [courtesy of Blog for America]

The Congressional Progressive Caucus released an alternative federal budget.  Check out the full article from the Contra Costa Times:

Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairwoman Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, today rolled out the CPC’s alternative budget, which would cut defense spending; halve U.S. poverty in a decade; and include a second economic stimulus package containing many of the provisions — more spending on public works, food stamps, unemployment insurance and Medicaid assistance to states — pared by Republican demand from the first package last month. 

Danny
Communications Director

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Congressman Jerry McNerney, who took a lot of heat from progressives for his last vote on Iraq, this time defied Democratic leadership and voted no on the bill to pass the federal budget. Here's his explanation.