Obama And War Funding

In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Obama framed his request for an additional $83.4 billion in funds for Afghanistan along familiar themes: “the Taliban is resurgent and al Qaeda threatens America (emphasis mine) from its safe haven along the Afghan-Pakistan border.”

It will be interesting to watch this drama unfold. Not only from the standpoint of watching Pelosi and her gang of thugs twist and contort at the thought of providing additional war funding, but also for the reaction of congressional republicans who slogged it out with President Bush during similar funding battles. I agree with the President on this issue, and hope republicans of similar mind will stand with Obama as well.

But one teensy wrinkle I think the administration may need to reconcile – do you recall the stink raised by democrats (including Obama himself) concerning the “imminent threat” justification they claimed Bush used for the invasion of Iraq? If we are to hold President Obama to the same standard, does Afghanistan pass this muster? If the Office of Homeland Security is to be believed, the answer is no. “We maintain there is no credible information to suggest there’s an imminent threat against the homeland at this time”, according to an agency statement released in November 2008.

So if al Qaeda’s danger isn’t imminent (and by extension, Afghanistan’s), why all the fuss?