Bush Signs $555 Billion Spending Bill

Measure Keeps Government Running Through September, Includes $70B For Iraq, Afghanistan Wars

(CBS/AP)  President Bush on Wednesday signed a $555 billion bill that funds the Iraq war well into next year and keeps government agencies running through next September.

Mr. Bush also signed 15 other bills, including the patch to the alternative minimum tax, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.

Mr. Bush's signature on the massive spending bill capped a long-running battle with the Democratic-run Congress as he left boarded Air Force One to fly from his Maryland mountaintop retreat and flew to his Texas ranch here to see in the new year.

Mr. Bush had deep reservations about special "earmark" spending in the bill, but signed it into law nevertheless.

"The omnibus (bill) funds the government at responsible levels that the president proposed without raising taxes," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters traveling to Texas with Bush.

Stanzel said that although he signed the bill, Mr. Bush continues to be "disappointed with Congress' addiction to earmarks."

"And soon the president will outline his fiscal year 2009 budget proposal," the spokesman added, "which will hold the line on spending, keep taxes low and continue us on the path to a balanced budget."

Mr. Bush, who had used his veto power to remain relevant in the debate with Democrats on national spending priorities, had agreed to sign the measure, which includes $70 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, after winning concessions on Iraq and other budget items. The bill bankrolls 14 Cabinet departments and federal agencies and funds foreign aid for the budget year that began on Oct. 1.

Mr. Bush and his Senate GOP allies forced the Iraq money upon anti-war Democrats as the price for permitting the year-end budget deal to pass and be signed.

Democrats tried to use war spending legislation to force a change in Mr. Bush's Iraq policy, chiefly by setting a withdrawal goal with dates such as Dec. 15, 2009. But Mr. Bush and Republicans held a powerful hand. They knew Democrats would not let money lapse for troops overseas. That allowed a Bush veto in May and GOP stalling tactics to determine the outcome.

On the domestic budget, Mr. Bush's GOP allies were divided over whether the overall spending bill was a victory for their party in the long fight with Democrats over agency budgets.

Conservatives and outside watchdog groups criticized the bill for having about $28 billion in domestic spending that topped Bush's budget and was paid for by a combination of "emergency" spending, transfers from the defense budget and other maneuvers.

[fizzal-2009]

Now that we have all decided too pay the bills lets fix some of the health care problems and tell the doctor to sub-contract in Iraq so he doesn,t have to charge me a lot for a visit.

[rowdytexan2]

The president signed this bill knowing that we didn''t have the money to spend in Iraq and Afghanistan on his fake wars, even without a dime being added to his fricking budget because we were already spent up from his refusal to have to the rich taxed!

The only reason he looks so hang dog himself is that he knows his reign of terror will be over soon, that the people are onto his lies, and he will go down in history as the most thieving conman in America.

Oh ye, who sleep with dogs and thieves, reap the fleas and degredation upon thy person.

[pakaal]

Ya know, on the Iraq war (and Cheney''s wars in general) I was unsure about Bush''s level of complicity. He just doesn''t seem smart enough to be involved in that sort of long-term planning. I figured Bush was told "you''ll be the next Reagan, baby!" and he actually believed it. But as we finally get to contrast his interaction with the past Republican and current Democratic Congress it''s clear that if nothing else he''s a party loyalist who will perpetrate the baldfaced lies his handlers send him out with.

"Deep reservations about earmarks"?! Unfortunately, Bush doesn''t seem to understand how Congress works (as newly legislated by the Democrats, to avoid more of Ted Stevens'' $270 million Bridge To Nowhere shenanigans, one assumes). The legislation states:

Any earmark found to be egregious during that period can be targeted in the motion to instruct conferees, a motion controlled by the minority party.

Uhh, that minority party would be yours, George.

[neoconrcrazy]

as ross perot once said:

"you hear that aweful sucking sound?"

it''s our money be thrown down bush &co.''s throat!

[hypnotoad72]

V_161877 - you can marry Christmas. I''ll just be merry.

[lvdragonlady-2009]

Bush is so flippin clueless, it is not even funny anymore. How do you balance a budget when you are spending 555 billion on a war? Not paying congress a couple years salary? We know that will never happen.
Consider this - If we(the general population) were able to ''only'' work when we wanted too and still get paid full salary, how many of us would excel in our workplace? Congress, both the Senate and House can pick and chose when they come to work, but they continue to get (1)full pay (2)perks (3)full vacations. We need to change the laws that allow them to do this and make it where they get NO PERKS, NO DAY OFF WITH PAY and have to work at least 50 weeks out of the year, maybe then they could get the job done right!

[mbcsmith]

WAAAAAAHH, the LIBS are so clueless. I want mine, the government OWES me, who''s going to pay for ME, FREE healthcare for everyone.... Get a clue you selfish basta*ds.

[sgtrds]

"But Mr. Bush and Republicans held a powerful hand. They knew Democrats would not let money lapse for troops overseas. That allowed a Bush veto in May and GOP stalling tactics to determine the outcome."

In other words Bush played politics with the troops support and lives and he knew the Democrats would be the ones to really support the troops and make sure they were funded, instead of turning their funding into a game of chicken like Bush did. He''s such a pathetic little baby.

[gkc99]

"WAAAAAAHH, the LIBS are so clueless. I want mine, the government OWES me, who''''s going to pay for ME, FREE healthcare for everyone.... Get a clue you selfish basta*ds"--Posted by mbcsmith


What a hoot! Get a clue, moron, your Chimp in Chief Bushit has added over 50% to the National Debt during his term in office!

Fiscal responsibility my a$$. The Neoconscum are the biggest spenders (and liars) in history. Only someone with a room temperature IQ (or below) could fail to see that.

QED.

[ubrew12]

The cost of the Iraq War would have solved the looming Social security crisis for over 100 years.

That''s not just my opinion. Its the opinion of Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz

[mbcsmith]

Posted by gkc99 at 03:42 PM : Dec 26, 2007

You''re a fvcking loser. Why don''t you bash your LIB buddies in Congress who added $90 billion of wasteful earmarks. How long would that fund your selfish a$$.

[slim1h2o]

neoconRcrazy at 02:51 PM : Dec 26, 2007

Ya, I hear that sucking sound, the sound of the economy tanking

[sgtrds]

"And soon the president will outline his fiscal year 2009 budget proposal," the spokesman added, "which will hold the line on spending, keep taxes low and continue us on the path to a balanced budget."

That''s rich considering it was this worthless piece of sh*it Bush who took a budget surplus and changed it into more debt then every other president in history combined. It''s like a bank robber cliaming he''ll return a little of the money he''s stolen. What a lying as*shole.

[mbcsmith]

That''''s not just my opinion. Its the opinion of Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ubrew12 at 03:42 PM : Dec 26, 2007


OOOOhh that''s impressive. The same bunch that gave a prize to the terrorist Yassir Arafat and the eco-terrorist Al Bore.

[mbcsmith]

Posted by SgtRDS at 03:44 PM : Dec 26, 2007

The don''t ask don''t tell thing got you, didn''t it.

[liberalme]

Why don''t we just had him over our paychecks?
This war and this sorry excuse for a human being doesn''t give a RA that he is costing us taxpayers billions!!

WAAAAAAHH, the LIBS are so clueless. I want mine, the government OWES me, who''''s going to pay for ME, FREE healthcare for everyone.... Get a clue you selfish basta*ds.
Posted by mbcsmith at 03:36 PM

Typical repug response--has nothing intelligent or informative to say--nor would he ever admit to being wrong---must be helping poopus with Bush''s colonoscopy--heads are stuck!

[liberalme]

Fiscal responsibility my a$$. The Neoconscum are the biggest spenders (and liars) in history. Only someone with a room temperature IQ (or below) could fail to see that.
Posted by gkc99 at 03:4

You''re generous with your IQ guess--I would have put it in single digist--or they have the IQ of a gnats a$$.

[ubrew12]

mbcsmith: "[The Nobel committee]...The same bunch that gave a prize to the terrorist Yassir Arafat and the eco-terrorist Al Bore."
I thought I''d get flamed for that (its easier than thinking, isn''t it). The economics Nobel is usually deserved, it certainly is in the case of Stiglitz. Say it with me: "The cost of the Iraq War would have solved the Social Security Crisis for over 100 years." That means, if you''re over 40, you wouldn''t have gotten your benefits cut, or if your under 40, you wouldn''t have gotten your SocSec taxes increased. If you''re against that, you must be the moron I think you are.

[sgtrds]

Stanzel said that although he signed the bill, Mr. Bush continues to be "disappointed with Congress'' addiction to earmarks."

And this from a piece of cr*ap that''s addicted to getting our troops killed in vain, just so his buddies can make a huge profit from this bloody mess he''s created. Bush is a mentally sick warmonger.

[mbcsmith]

Posted by ubrew12 at 03:56 PM : Dec 26, 2007


LOL...LOL again. What''s your point LIB? The president tried to save the program by investing the funds, but the socialist LIB congress blocked it. The presidents plan would have made SS solvent but LIBS just won''t have it. SOCIALISM is alive and well in the LIB party.

[hillaryin08]

And the lib congress funds the war again, and again and again.........I wonder how many votes they think they are actually getting out of this?

[sgtrds]

Main Entry: liberal
Part of Speech: adjective 1
Definition: progressive
Synonyms: advanced, avant-garde, big, broad, broad-minded, catholic, detached, disinterested, dispassionate, enlightened, flexible, free, general, high-minded, humanistic, humanitarian, impartial, indulgent, inexact, interested, latitudinarian, left, lenient, libertarian, loose, magnanimous, not close, not literal, not strict, permissive, pink, radical, rational, reasonable, receiving, receptive, reformist, tolerant, unbiased, unbigoted, unconventional, understanding, unorthodox, unprejudiced
Antonyms: conservative
Source: Roget''s New Millennium%u2122 Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)

I always smile when I hear some redneck try to insult us by calling us "libs". I''m proud to be a liberal.

[hillaryin08]

So why does your lib congress keep funding the war? Whatever happened to the "power of the purse"? and all that garbage they promised you? Are you going to vote for them again?

[realtalk5950]

Boy.....all the folks with Bush/Cheney in ''04 car bumper tags are looking pretty dumb right now..congrats idiots!! you voted for this guy!! haha

[mbcsmith]

I always smile when I hear some redneck try to insult us by calling us "libs". I''''m proud to be a liberal.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by SgtRDS at 04:18 PM : Dec 26, 2007

I didn''t say liberal, I said LIB. A LIB is one who:

1. Would rather SURRENDER than fight
2. Loves to kill babies
3. Believes in the socialist society
4. Believes the government OWES them something
5. Will raise your taxes
6. Will lie to your face and then lie about lying.
7. Hates any form of religion
8. Will pander to the enemies of our country.

[hillaryin08]

Boy.....all the folks with Bush/Cheney in ''''04 car bumper tags are looking pretty dumb right now..congrats idiots!! you voted for this guy!! haha


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by RealTalk5950 at 04:27 PM : Dec 26, 2007


And your congress just voted to keep the war going!

[sgtrds]

Main Entry: conservative
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: moderate
Synonyms: bourgeois, cautious, constant, controlled, conventional, die-hard, fearful, firm, fogyish*, fuddy-duddy*, guarded, hard hat*, hidebound, holding to, illiberal, inflexible, middle-of-the-road*, not extreme, obstinate, old guard*, old-line, orthodox, quiet, red-neck, right, right-wing, sober, stable, steady, timid, traditional, traditionalistic, unchangeable, unchanging, uncreative, undaring, unimaginative, unprogressive, white bread*
Antonyms: incautious, left-wing, liberal, progressive, radical, revolutionary
Source: Roget''s New Millennium%u2122 Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)

Now conservative on the other hand....yuck! I mean who wouldn''t rather be a liberal (or lib for short)?

[realtalk5950]

And your congress just voted to keep the war going!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by hillaryin08 at 04:31 PM : Dec 26, 2007

Somebody must have the bumper tag!! Haha W in ''04!! W in ''04! Did you hear? He''s going in the guiness book of world records as the fastest to turn a thriving country into ruins! W in ''04!!! Wars!! economy slump!! housing market down!! 9.2 trillion dollar deficit and growing!!! oh, and speaking of the dollar, it''s value when down too!! Yay!! W in ''04!! happy new year idiots!

[greatdrivew]

I''ve been searching the internet for a financial breakdown of this budget, and oddly enough, I can''t seem to find one; not even CBS is providing that info.

Will someone please direct me to a webpage showing a breakdown of this budget. Please, I know I''m not the only person who wants to see it.

[realtalk5950]

That''s classified. Sorry for the inconvience.

-Bush Administration

[greatdrivew]

Executive privilege, again?

[inventagod]

Excuse me, NeoCons...

BU$H Signed these bills, not us LIBS

You are grasping at paid posts, kids

[fstop100]

his father should have beat him more often

[realtalk5950]

You Bet.

[usbrit-2009]

mbcsmith - please take your smug little a$$, put it on a time machine and take it back to 1936 Berlin. You''ll be just in time to join the burning of the Reichstag.

[sgtrds]

his father should have beat him more often

Posted by fstop100 at 04:50 PM : Dec 26, 2007

His father should have used a rubber............

[jetranger7]

I told ya this BUSH MORON can''t count, add or subtract ! But this is what you get when you have a "SPOLIED BRAT" from a Rich Family, who could careless about AMERICAS future, and thinks that by just Spending Billions of Dollars that will eventually go un-accounted for and mis-spent, costing this country major damage, its already happened before MILLIONS UN-Accounted for !!! His goal is to leave this country in a Dire mess,, while him and CHENEY get off with stealing Billions of your TAX DOLLARS !!!! This Idiot should go directly to Prision after IMPEACHMENT and CHENEY TOO !!!!!!

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by mbcsmith at 03:36 PM : Dec 26, 2007

You may need to get a clue, sir. The health care business is so prostituted by the insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and hospital profiteers making money off of human suffering that soon YOU''RE not going to be able to afford it, and die.

A National Health Trust would cut out insurance companies, bring health care back to the cost of doing business and salaries, and make pharmaceuticals have to contract their prices. This would save the American people billions of dollars!

When you freaking republicans stop screaming SOCIALISM everytime a proposal comes up to help our people, or when legislation is proposed to put a fair share of taxes on the rich, THEN you might have the right to scream about spending. Until then, SHUT UP!

[usbrit-2009]

2) I''ll bet there were as many repug ear-marks as democratic ones. 3) I''ll bet there weren''t 1/2 the number the repug congress used every year when Bushit signed on the dotted line without a squeak. 4) For anyone who calls us libs goose-steppers; for crying out loud please raise your IQ to 2 and figure out that liberals are more socialist - you all are the f*cking NAZI$ - A$$holes.

[greatdrivew]

I finally found some okay info about this budget. Some of what I just read about it makes me sick - seriously, it''s totally disgusting. One last thing though, I still have not discovered how much foreign aid is being dished out. But seriously, go read this article.....http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/wm1751.cfm

[hissteps4u]

If America really want a wake up call Look at the Pork Barrel spending which Democrats forced into the Budget which Bush signed. He should have Vetoed It.

The Democrats are the down fall of society and their big Spending programs will indeed bankrupt us

[usbrit-2009]

OK I''ve calmed down - it''s just sometimes these neocon f*uckers really get me pi$$ed off. oops off again - sorry.

[usayesterday]

The pork projects get funded... the corporate interests get funded...

...but funding health care for needy children?

Oh no, that''s impossible!

Why does anyone vote for the two-in-one party system anymore? Just stay home in 2008. Please.

[justsane-2009]

greatdrive--since you are interested in te facts, and not name calling (as are most of the posters on both sides of the aisle here), here''s a link to the gro. warning: it''s a bugger to plow through...

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:8:./temp/~c110g4lI92::

[notblue]

the Dems had the power this time around to stop funding but they, as clear thinking adults, understand that would undermine a war that is showing defenite progress and put our troops and America in more danger. THe "screaming child leftwing" in America needs constant pandering which the "lip service" the Dems gave them last election was nothing more than pascifier to silence the "child". True reality for those Americans who do not live in fantasy land as in the "Silent majority" also know, as well as the dems in congress, that if they do anything to thwart success or appear to side with the enemy with there efforts to thwart Americas efforts in Iraq that it would translate to no chance of winning in the 08 elections. It''s too bad the left in this country cannot understand this reality but it''s not surprising as there ideology is self blinding.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by hissteps4u at 05:05 PM : Dec 26, 2007

I guess you haven''t heard that most of the pork was added by the republicans when it went thru the Senate...education, health, and public works IS NOT PORK!

[j-whitman]

notblue,,,,, What happened to the conservative opposition & Bush''s veto threats on the omnibus spending bill ?????

[uzzisanta]

WHAT 555 BILLION DOLLARS?!! WHERES IT COMING FROM?!!

[uzzisanta]

YOU CALL YERSELF A CONSERVATIVE, AZZZHOLE?! I''VE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH ******** MONEY SPENT CONSERVATIVELY?!!

[notblue]

Floydzepp, your obvious limited ability to comprehend is not my fault so please don''t shoot the messenger because reality makes no sense. Furthermore, what qualifies an ingrate like yourself to determine anyone elses level of intelligence. What makes the blather you spew more valid than facts? I forgot you people never let facts get in the way of your anti-American fantasy world.