Republicans Set Aside $20 Million For War Victory Celebration

The New York Times has revealed that Republicans have set aside $20 million of America's tax dollars for a giant victory celebration for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Is it just me or does this sound like self congratulatory propaganda over a complete failure?

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 — Even as the Bush administration urges Americans to stay the course in Iraq, Republicans in Congress have put down a quiet marker in the apparent hope that V-I Day might be only months away.

Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital “for commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not surprisingly, the money was not spent.

Now Congressional Republicans are saying, in effect, maybe next year. A paragraph written into spending legislation and approved by the Senate and House allows the $20 million to be rolled over into 2007.

The original legislation empowered the president to designate “a day of celebration” to commemorate the success of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

I actually found the clause pertaining to this here. Text is below.

SEC. 378. COMMEMORATION OF SUCCESS OF THE ARMED FORCES IN OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM AND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

(a) Celebration Honoring Military Efforts in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom- The President may--

(1) designate a day of celebration to honor the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines of the Armed Forces who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and have returned to the United States; and

(2) issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

(b) Participation of Armed Forces in Celebration-

(1) PARTICIPATION AUTHORIZED- Members and units of the Armed Forces may participate in activities associated with a day of celebration designated under subsection (a) that are held in Washington, District of Columbia.

(2) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Subject to paragraph (4), amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2006 may be used to cover costs associated with the participation of members and units of the Armed Forces in the activities described in paragraph (1).

(3) ACCEPTANCE OF PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS- (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Defense may accept cash contributions from private individuals and entities for the purposes of covering the costs of the participation of members and units of the Armed Forces in the activities described in paragraph (1). Amounts so accepted shall be deposited in an account established for purposes of this paragraph.

(B) Amounts accepted under subparagraph (A) may be used for the purposes described in that subparagraph until expended.

(4) LIMITATION- The total amount of funds described in paragraph (2) that are available for the purpose set forth in that paragraph may not exceed the amount equal to--

(A) $20,000,000, minus

(B) the amount of any cash contributions accepted by the Secretary under paragraph (3).

(c) Award of Recognition Items-

(1) AUTHORITY TO AWARD- Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, appropriate recognition items may be awarded to any individual who served honorably as a member of the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom during the Global War on Terrorism. The purpose of the award of such items is to recognize the contribution of such individuals to the success of the United States in those operations.

(2) RECOGNITION ITEMS DEFINED- In this subsection, the term `recognition items' means recognition items authorized for presentation under section 2261 of title 10, United States Code (as added by section 589 of this Act).

Source: In Bill’s Fine Print, Millions to Celebrate Victory - New York Times