thinkprogress.org/2008/04/16/mccain-aid-israel -> thinkprogress.org/2008/04/16/mccain-aid-israel/
hit the ground running" and immediately get involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It is astounding then that McCain has essentially vowed to eliminate US funding assistance for Israel.
speech yesterday on the economy, McCain said that as president, he will eliminate pork barrel spending, otherwise known as "earmarks": If that authority is entrusted to me, I will use the veto as needed, and as the Founders intended. I will veto every bill with earmarks, until the Congress stops sending bills with earmarks. I will seek a constitutionally valid line-item veto to end the practice once and for all. Today on MSNBC, McCain cited "$65 billion" in earmarks "that's already on the books" that he would cut. Watch it: Screenshot McCain does not identify the $65 billion in earmarks. In a conference call with reporters yesterday, McCain economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said that McCain's plan to eliminate earmarks uses the Congressional Research Service's (CRS) definition of the term.
aid to Israel is considered an earmark: Several special characteristics of the practice of earmarking in Foreign Operations bills are worth noting. Some observers define earmarks in a more limited way, identifying only provisions that direct spending for items not requested by the Administration or in excess of levels proposed for activities or countries. Although many Foreign Operations earmarks fall within this more narrow definition, congressional directives specifying spending amounts that are the same as shown in the Administration's illustrative listing for country distributions also are regarded as earmarks. Annual earmarks for economic and military aid to Israel and Egypt are examples of such directives. So is McCain's plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate all aid to Israel?
Top Rated | Date 46 Responses to "McCain's Plan To Cut Earmarks Would Eliminate Aid To Israel" 1 Fred Says: So is McCain's plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate all aid to Israel?
April 16th, 2008 at 5:27 pm 4 MCMetal Says: So is McCain's plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate all aid to Israel? Like McStupid would ever jeopardize his relationship with his BFF in the likes of Joe Lieberman that way ?
April 16th, 2008 at 5:27 pm 5 puunjab Says: Leave the false straw man arguments to the right. We don't need them to prove McCain is a liar and an idiot. To maintain aid to Israel would just require a bill with that specific intent. Blowing away earmarks doesn't mean Israel can't get aid. If X then Y does not translate to If Y then X It's a basic premeise of logic.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:30 pm 7 Loonie Says: Wouldn't it be great if one of the slimy, gutless MSM worms who call themselves journalists would actually ask him that?
April 16th, 2008 at 5:33 pm 8 Fred Says: I will veto every bill with earmarks, until the Congress stops sending bills with earmarks. I will seek a constitutionally valid line-item veto to end the practice once and for all. Well, if hell freezes over and he gets elected, he won't do any such a thing.
When McSame wakes up from his nap, one of his aides will remind him as to what he said. Immediately McSame will blame the librul press and claim his words were taken out of context. McSame does get some things right - like his kewl recipies, YumYum.
hussein toasterhead Says: I don't understand how that's an earmark. The level of direct cash transfer to countries is specified in the Congressional budget request in accordance with whatever bilateral agreement we have in place with the receipent country.
Hussein Matt Says: I will veto every bill with earmarks, until the Congress stops sending bills with earmarks. Translation: I will veto every bill with Democratic earmarks, until the Democratic Congress stops sending bills with earmarks. However, if they are reich-wing earmarks, that's another story all together.
With mentors like Lieberman and Podhoretz(we must bomb Iran man)that are advising McWar, this remains simply a McCain talk. Nobody in the Congress has the guts to touch this Israeli entitlement. McCain's hopes of being elected will be derailed if he tries to touch this issue...
i am disgusted that this country is held hostage to aipac -- in treasure and the sons and daughters of americans sacrificed on that belligerent country's behalf.
Crusty Old Bastard Says: McCain has finally admitted he has CRS. I suspect, however, his version of CRS comes from Can't Remember Shit. At his age, and I speak from experience, the only things that will be running are his mouth and bowels (sporadically).
StratRat Says: Crusty Old Bastard Says: McCain has finally admitted he has CRS. I suspect, however, his version of CRS comes from Can't Remember Shit. At his age, and I speak from experience, the only things that will be running are his mouth and bowels (sporadically). Maybe the noise coming out of his bowels makes more sense than the noise coming out of his mouth.
Freedom Rebel Says: The really sad part of this is he doesn't even realize, most likely, that he would be eliminating aid to Israel in effect. He has admitted himself he doesn't know anything about economics. But what would probably happen is, when the next bill that has money in it for Israel,that would be the time he won't use his line item Veto.
Lesly Says: It is astounding then that McCain has essentially vowed to eliminate US funding assistance for Israel. Until we invaded Iraq, Israel was #1 on our foreign economic and military assistance, even though there are several countries that do much worse than Israel in terms of security and economic prosperity. The luxury of Israel building illegal settlements, the security to defend these settlements from Palestinian attack and Palestinian resentment.
Some excerpts from the report: Israel is not economically self-sufficient, and relies on foreign assistance and borrowing to maintain its economy. Since 1985, the United States has provided $3 billion in grants annually to Israel. Since 1976, Israel has been the largest annual recipient of US foreign assistance, and is the largest cumulative recipient since World War II. In addition to US assistance, it is estimated that Israel receives about $1 billion annually through philanthropy, an equal amount through short- and long- term commercial loans, and around $1 billion in Israel Bonds proceeds. Since 1974, some or all of US military aid to Israel has been in the form of loans for which repayment is waived. Technically, the assistance is called loans, but as a practical matter, the military aid is grant. From FY1974 through FY2003, Israel has received more than $45 billion in waived loans.
freeatlast Says: FYI: As usual, because of the undue influence of a "special" group of people, the Huffington Post link to this article is not allowing free expression and discourse on their comments section. Nice to see there are still "untarnished" sites which allow a different opinion to be posted than only those that are politically correct.
Chocolate Jesus Says: > So is McCain's plan to cut earmarks a pledge to eliminate > all aid to Israel? hey, Israel deserves our money just as much as oil companies deserve our subsidies..
Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says: If McCain were to be elected, there is no way he would end earmarks. Besides, there is nothing wrong with many of the "earmarks". I do agree that we need to stop the practice of attaching earmarks to bills that have nothing to do with the earmarks. I believe that Congress should pass a law saying that a bill can only have one single subject. There are many other nefarious things that can be slipped into bills that have nothing to do with earmarks. Then Congress could have maybe two sessions a year for "appropriation spending" and this would be where congress people would ask for the pork they want to take back to their district. Full disclosure on every "earmark" will also be helpful.
I suspect he is hoping he will be elected and then be able to pack the Supreme Court to get the result he wants. I hope the Democrats hit hard on the Supreme Court in this election cycle. Heaven help this country if McCain is elected and is able to appoint a couple of more Supremes.
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