US Senate votes for more funding for Afghanistan war and no timetable

One of the "headlines" on radio/TV/internet broadcast today is that "The Senate Approves War Funding, Rejects Timetable for Afghan Withdrawal." The implication of this vote is that the U.S. Congress stands behind an U.S. occupation of Afghanistan for the indefinite future. This is a sad action by the U.S. Senate, which is likely to be followed by similar action in the House of Representatives, the legislation signed by President Obama, and cheered on by the military-industrial complex and those eager to continue U.S. influence, if not domination, of the rich oil reserves in the larger region. Here is the disheartening headline from Democracy Now.

"In other news from Capitol Hill, the Senate has approved a nearly $60 billion measure in continued funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The measure includes full funding for President Obama’s deployment of an additional 33,000 troops in his escalation of the Afghan war. In earlier voting, the Senate rejected an amendment from Democratic Senator Russ Feingold that would have required President Obama to submit a timetable for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan."