Congress Fights Back on Permanent Bases

I don't know how it got under the radar, and maybe this will get stripped out in committee or nullified by signing statement, but Rep. Barabara Lee of Oakland actually got an amendment passed banning funding for permanent bases in Iraq. It passed on a voice vote without opposition. I got an email on it from California Peace Aciton, otherwise I wouldn't have known about it.

We know that permanent basing undermines any possible victory strategy in Iraq, and we know that the Defense Department has been pouring money into setting them up anyway. This is a step toward accountability on that score, and that it passed so easily almost makes me a bit nervous. But I'm happy to see this issue highlighted by Democratic members of Congress.