House Votes Against Ending Afghan War

H. Con. Res 248 Defeated 65-356

by Jason Ditz, March 10, 2010

It may have produced hours of fiery debate, but in the end Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s (D – OH) House Concurrent Resolution 248, which would have mandated the end of the US military presence in Afghanistan by December 31 ultimately failed, as was widely expected.

The vote was 65-356, with vast majorities from both parties opposing the resolution to end the war. Rep. Kucinich and his 19 co-sponsors delivered impassioned pleas to end the conflict, but they appear to have ultimately fallen on deaf ears.

In fact, much of the debate from the “no” side came in the form of questioning whether the debate should have happened at all, including speculation that Rep. Kucinich and others had “forgotten about 9/11″ and that they were deliberately trying to undermine America in seeking to end the eight and a half year war.

Since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the US military presence has increased dramatically, with President Bush announcing a massive escalation in 2008 and President Obama announcing two further escalations in 2009. By summer it is expected that over 100,000 American troops will be in Afghanistan, along with tens of thousands of international forces.

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