Levin: Economy Too Poor for War Tax

(CBS)  Senator Carl Levin said a war tax on higher-earning Americans is not out of the question to support a surge of troops in Afghanistan, but believed such a tax is now too late.

His comments on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday came in the wake of a proposal by Rep. David Obey, D-Wisc., for a "war tax" to pay for the Afghan war - particularly in light of President Obama's anticipated increase in U.S. troop strength there.

"In the middle of a recession we're probably not going to be able to increase taxes to pay for it," Levin, D-Mich., told CBS News' Harry Smith. "There should have been, as far as I'm concerned, tax increases for upper bracket folks who did so well during the Bush years - that's where the tax increases should have taken place. But that should have happened some time ago.

"But in the middle of this recession, I don't think you're going to be able successfully or fairly to add a tax burden to middle-income people," Levin said. "I think you could tax the upper brackets, $250,000 or more, but I don't think middle income America is in a position now where they could pay additional taxes because the economic stress is so great here."

Smith asked if the U.S. would still have troops in Afghanistan, if Osama bin Laden has been captured or killed there in 2001.

[ says in December 2001 bin Laden was "within the grasp" of the American military in Afghanistan who chose not to pursue him with massive force; consequently the terrorist leader "walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area," the report said.]

"Maybe not - I would say there would be a good chance we would not have forces or need to have forces there," Levin said. "But this has been kind of well known for some time. We took our eye off the ball. Instead of moving in on him at Tora Bora, the previous administration decided to move its forces to Iraq.

"It was a mistake then."

He said whether President Obama gets Democratic support for his announcement Tuesday to increase troops in Afghanistan depends on the purpose of the mission and whether additional Americans there would help build numbers in the Afghan army.

"If the mission is, as I hope, trying to very quickly build up the Afghan army both in size and in capability and in equipment, if the mission is to give them the capacity to take on the Taliban - and I believe that will be the principal mission stated - that would be one important thing to happen for Democratic support.

"But the second thing which I think there's greater question on is why the additional troops would help increase the size of the Afghan army," he said. "When I was in Afghanistan, I was told that the greatest need in Afghanistan is for more Afghan troops . . . The Marine captain says that the Achilles heel in Afghanistan is the shortage of Afghan troops."

The Senator argued that building the Afghan ranks is very "do-able."

"The Afghans are known to be fighters," he said. "And there's not that kind of ethnic division that existed in Iraq.

"The question, it seems to me, is not whether we should send more mentors and trainers; we should. The issue is how would additional combat forces, additional Marines, for instance, increase the speed of the build-up of the Afghan army? That's what I think the president is going to need to explain because the key to success in Afghanistan is the Afghan army taking on the Taliban."

Levin said it is also important for President Obama to keep pressure on the government of President Karzai to end corruption.

On the question of health care reform legislation, Smith asked Levin if he believed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has the 60 votes needed to pass?

"I think there's a decent chance that we'll be able to get 60 votes," he replied. "The leader here, Harry Reid, has done a really good job of getting 60 votes to jump that first hurdle which was a procedural hurdle. But I won't underestimate his capability to get us to 60 votes on final passage."

Even with a public option?

"Probably," Levin said, if it's one that states can opt out from.

[morgan378]

""The Afghans are known to be fighters," he said. "And there's not that kind of ethnic division that existed in Iraq."" ----- What is he talking about? They can't read, have no last names, couldn't tell you i* it were Jan 1st or Dec 11th and to introduce them to our advanced technology is going to take every minute we can spare. Yes, they are well versed in a AK-47 and RPG's, but they are easy weapons to understand. Ethnic division? Heck there aren't a more diverse people EXCEPT in Iraq. Tribes and clans all over the place. I don't think Mr. Levin has been getting the memos lately. It's going to take more than 18 months to "transition" these people and Karzai's goverment isn't exactely helping with being so corrupt and then turning on the US and saying WE should have better controls on the aid we give them. Why don't we put total control on our aid and do without his emigre government until he learns he either watches over it (as President this would be a marvelous way o* getting more aid into the country and keeping track o* it) since he has no oil and will be dependent on the rest o* the World *or his nations well being in the *oreseable *uture. I can't abide Karzai turning his cheek against us even thinking he looks better to his own people who hate his government when he does so. He's trying to play both sides o* the stools and *alling into the space between them.

[gboyd41]

Mr. Levin, if I am taxed for this war, in excess above my fellow citizens, will I have more input? Thought not, but if asked, my answer is GET OUT NOW! You are quite the politician, keep up the good work.

[gboyd41]

Get us out of these wars, Mr. President-please!

[decotoguy]

The Americans are falling for an old CHINESE TRICK(some-what like those
fingers locks)lets just call it the cockroach motel,and you Americans
are not the inn keepers.
PS/ since 9/11 America is suffering a Mental Disorder called WAR...
besides,support the Nation's Military Industrial Complex that all you folks have left.......

[taylorsucram]

Is anyone paying attention? Afghanistan has been the graveyard for every nation that invades or tries to occupy it. It is one of the main reasons the Soviet Union fell apart. We will end up destroying ourselves at the cost of billions of dollars that we don't have. The Chinese are just sitting back, factoring our expenditures into their long-range goals and when you look at them, all you will see is "a room full of smiling faces". The Romans did it to themselves and we are well on our way towards the same end. THOSE WHO FORGET THE PAST ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.

[mav547166]

Actually part of the problem is they have been conquered by so many people including muslims that they have hundreds of different cultures in that country.

[PophamSmith]

If we do not take a lesson from history, then we are doomed to
failure in Afghanistan. The British were forced out.
The Russians could not hold their ground in that God-forsaken
landscape and even with 34,000 more troops @$1 million apiece,
we will fail also. The people of this ungrateful and corrupt 'nation'
have for centuries always, eventually, driven out the aggressor and
they will do it again and at considerable cost in lives, limbs, PTS,
but most importantly our treasury. Perhaps it would be a good idea to
take a vote as to exactly who is in favor of this 'war' and tax them
directly for its expense.
Indeed, it is not out-of-line to suggest that health care reform be placed on a back burner, so that we can consider the billions that Iraq and Afghanistan are costing taxpayersin the middle of a recession, a recession which is by no means over.
Where will this all end, do you suppose? The mlitary/industrial complex gets rich, while the rest of us suffer.
We need, we must get out of these countries, while the getting is good, before it's too late.

[pensacola8-2009]

This all started from a few radical militants exploiting a relaxed airport security policy that existed in every airport in the USA up to 2001.

It wasn't like WW-I over a political assassination.

It wasn't like W-II over a military invasion or attack on a military base.

It wasn't like Korea or Vietnam over a cold-war policy.

Watching Bush take us into two countries was like watching a gambler on a spree in two casinos - losing his shorts on both of them.

Someone needs to sober up the military, the NSA, and recall them quickly. Does Obama have Truman's wisdom and courage, when he fired McArthur for invading China during the Korean conflict?

When you compromise your principles, you sacrifice something great in your future...one of them sometimes being your future itself.

Obama needs to show he is in control of the defense department, which exhibited no control of itself since 2003. It is time to wake up from this nightmare and stop trying to steer a bad dream into a fairytale ending.

[brianbwb-2009]

The president is not in control of the defense department, and hasn't been since Kennedy was killed for trying to pull out of South-east Asia.

If he were to stand for the principles we all know he at least understands, he would most likely be sacrificing the lives of his family and himself.

Consider that, at $10 billion per month, just one month, is more than enough to buy off the entire legislature, and more than enough to take out anyone who doesn't go along.

I understand your point, but if you were Mr. Obama, and read some of the neo posters here using every code they can think of to avoid calling him the "n-word", would you think that such people are worth risking the lives of you and yours?

If you answer "no", I would hardly blame you.

[gboyd41]

Time to take a vacation and get under that "rich" label/tax rate. I wonder if this concept gains polularity-what would occur to the tax base?

[mnbrant]

Hire the Afghans as mercenary's. The will fight better and cheaper than our guys.

[mnbrant]

make sure the see the Geneva convention tape even though it's all obsolete and all though.

[cbsblogger]

Yeah his billionaire investment banker friends on Wall St. and 535 others influenced by the Israeli Lobby in Congress told him to say that. It is their greed that caused the problem, and we the public have been forced to pay for it on our credit card. Their profits have been privatized amongst themselves while they've robbed America blind for their own kind. Wall Street takes care of their own and screws America.