Just as the U.S. is about to go bankrupt, Obama feels the need to bribe terrorist loving Palestinians with $400 Million.

This is just great. $400 Million to be give to Palestinians in aid with no clear notion on how it will be administered. The Palestinian people could have no need for aid if their "brothers" in all the oil rich states that surround them and cheer their violence against Israel would monetarily support them.

The whole Middle-East terror network must be laughing at our inept and naive President as he attempts to buy their favor. I wonder if any of this money will be use to create IED's to target our troops in the region. We have only Abbas of the Palestinian Authorities word of it future use, and he has no say with Hamas in Gaza about the ultimate destination of these monies.

The only man who has a right to be happy about this in the U.S. is Jimmy Carter who has just been replaced as the most disastrous President in history

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/wo...er=rss&emc=rss

Well, what else would you expect him to do? Those poor Palestinians probably need it anyway.

You have to wonder what this bozo is thinking sometimes. We DO need change we can believe in... we need to make changes in the administration and get him and his moronic cronies out of office. Even Jimmy Carter would be better !!!

I guess as long as there is no budget one can spend it like they have it?
Musta come out of petty cash as there was no discussion about approval/etc.

Hopefully there is no budget when it comes to fixing the disaster in the gulf.
For that they will be in discussion for months/years.

No leadership. No priorities other than self/party.

Yes the enemy is laughing at us. Like Almadinanutjob in Iran and the hollow sanctions against them.

By the way where is all the foreign support for our problem in the gulf? Where are their skimmers? Or anything else? Yeah right.

It is impossible to not be a cynic during these times we live in!!!!!!!

btk

Originally Posted by billethkid

I guess as long as there is no budget one can spend it like they have it?
Musta come out of petty cash as there was no discussion about approval/etc.

Hopefully there is no budget when it comes to fixing the disaster in the gulf.
For that they will be in discussion for months/years.

No leadership. No priorities other than self/party.

Yes the enemy is laughing at us. Like Almadinanutjob in Iran and the hollow sanctions against them.

By the way where is all the foreign support for our problem in the gulf? Where are their skimmers? Or anything else? Yeah right.

It is impossible to not be a cynic during these times we live in!!!!!!!

btk

IRAN....We cant even get former allies to join the sanction. I heard a commentator say that he or I or you could sanction them and it will have the same influence !

The money given to Palestine....what amazes me is that there were no conditions to stop that money from going to Hamas. If you read you find that Hamas is getting rich over there due to the blockade. We give money to Palestine and no mention of any consultation with Israel !!!

For someone who campaigned on "change" there sure is a lot of "more of the same".

A very similar package of aid was done under the Bush administration. I remember calculating at the time that it was $5,000 for every man, woman and child in 'Palestine' - and I doubted that the people who needed it most would see ANY of it.

I would expect nothing different this time around.

Originally Posted by djplong

For someone who campaigned on "change" there sure is a lot of "more of the same".

A very similar package of aid was done under the Bush administration. I remember calculating at the time that it was $5,000 for every man, woman and child in 'Palestine' - and I doubted that the people who needed it most would see ANY of it.

I would expect nothing different this time around.

The Bush money FOR SURE had a condition that NO money could go to Hamas.

I have to believe that this current money also has that provision...if not, I just flat give up

Just to keep it in perspective...

"In part to bolster Mr. Abbas, Mr. Obama on Wednesday announced $400 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinian territories, though all but $70 million had been previously committed."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...atestheadlines


Not sure when "previously committed" was date wise but this blockade has been in exsistence for a number of years, and now the flotilla incident is being used as an excuse to put pressure on Israel.

As I said, all the reading I have done is that Hamas is getting rich off this !

The Bush administration money was before Hamas won the election in Gaza.

Apparently, according to an article I just read, most of the money is for usage in the West Bank for (you're going to love this) MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE.

From the Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177984

To that end, the White House announced Wednesday that it was contributing an additional $400 million to Palestinians. While the largest chunk is allocated for mortgage assistance in the West Bank, several smaller projects were dedicated to rebuilding schools, agriculture facilities and sewage systems in Gaza.

It's funny how all aid to Gaza was supposed to be suspended to try and force Hamas out of Gaza - this was something even the EU was touting. At the time, it was specifically stated that the people who voted for terrorists would have to realize the consequences of their actions. In fact, aid was supposed to continue to the West Bank in an effort to make Gazans jealous of their counterparts in the West Bank.

Funny how nobody at the EU remembers that now.

I just would like to note that President Bush's aid to the Palestinians was before the Towers fell and before the War On Terror against the Muslim Extremists, and before the current President tripled his deficit.

Do you remember how they danced in the streets?

Yoda

Originally Posted by RichieLion

I just would like to note that President Bush's aid to the Palestinians was before the Towers fell and before the War On Terror against the Muslim Extremists, and before the current President tripled his deficit.

Even on the surface, that's almost impossible. Bush took office on 1/20/2001 and the towers fell less than 8 months later.

I found some details in http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RS22370.pdf

On July 8, 2003, the United States announced that it would provide $20
million out of a $50 million FY2003 Supplemental allocation as direct
aid to the PA for infrastructure projects.

On December 8, 2004, President Bush again approved $20 million in
direct assistance to the PA to pay off overdue Palestinian utility bills to
Israeli companies.

Following PA President Abbas’ May 2005 visit to the White House,
President Bush announced that the United States would transfer an
additional $50 million from unobligated FY2005 ESF funds to the
Palestinian Authority. However, that transfer was later rescinded after
the formation of the Hamas-led government in March 2006 and the PA
returned $45 million of the $50 million.

...and later in the report:

In FY2006, Congress appropriated $150 million for USAID’s West Bank and Gaza program. Following the formation of the Hamas-led government, some of this funding was suspended and, along with funds appropriated in prior years, was then reprogrammed and delivered through international organizations and NGOs using programs with no connection to the PA government.

For FY2007, P.L. 110-5, the Revised Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007, provided $50 million for USAID’s West Bank and Gaza program.

For FY2008, the administration sought $63.5 million for USAID’s West Bank and
Gaza program and $10 million in Child Survival and Health funds. H.R. 2764, the House version of the FY2008 Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations bill (passed by the House on June 22, 2007), contains the $63.5 million for the West Bank and Gaza program while the Senate version (passed by the Senate on September 6, 2007) provides $75 million. Neither bill contains the Child Survival and Health funds.

Originally Posted by RichieLion

I just would like to note that President Bush's aid to the Palestinians was before the Towers fell and before the War On Terror against the Muslim Extremists, and before the current President tripled his deficit.

“I just would like to note that President Bush's aid to the Palestinians was before the Towers fell and before the War On Terror against the Muslim Extremists ….

Not really. Bush provided aid to the Palestinians deep into his presidency with stipulations as has been previously noted.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...m50jTZzcJ6aV-A

But the point is that it made little sense then and even less now considering our present environment.

Where will Obama get this money if China will not lend it to us?

Did congress vote on this hand out?

No haven't you heard? Obama has proposed a three-year freeze in spending on discretionary items for non-security agencies.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...atestheadlines