New Iraq funding plan attracts criticism from both sides

The new Democratic funding plan for the war in Iraq is being criticized from both sides of the aisle, with one member of the Republican leadership calling it “dumb” and a Democratic presidential candidate labeling it a “concession.”

During a meeting with reporters Wednesday, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) called the new Democratic funding plan for continued operations Iraq both “dumb and dangerous.”

{mosads}“It makes even less sense than the plan in Act One,” Blunt said, referring to the revamped supplemental bill as “Act Two.”

“It puts our men and women in Iraq in a needlessly dangerous situation … it’s the ultimate hint to extremist insurgent groups when you say to that group, ‘Here is the very condensed timeframe and your opportunity here to create as much chaos as possible in the shortest amount of time.’”

Blunt said that as the bill is written, Congress would be voting to allocate funds just days before money would run out.

On the other side of the political spectrum, Democratic presidential contender John Edwards also criticized the approach.

“This is not a compromise; it is a concession,” Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, said. “This proposal may not give George Bush all the money he wants, but it gives him all the money he needs to continue his surge and keep the war going.”