I'm glad to see you agree with that point. Many other liberals and Democrats do as well.

Making part of the money a loan sends a very negative message to Iraq, and does not recognize the responsibility we have taken on over there. It is really crappy to do what we did over there, and then expect them to cough up for rebuilding. Such punitive financial deals figured prominently in the Treaty of Versailles, but I'd bet most Senators don't know that.

The Democrats in the Senate are doing this just to kick Bush in the nuts. They don't give a rat's ass about the ten billion, which they would spend on a social program without blinking an eye. I don't know what the problem is with the Republicans.

Ted Kennedy went completely berserk today on the floor. I'm waiting to find a transcript.

Note some of the other goodies the Democrats threw at Bush:

In earlier tests, the Senate voted 57-42 to reject a Democratic proposal to let Bush quickly spend the first half of the $20.3 billion but require him to get Congress' assent next year to spend the rest.

It also voted 65-34 to kill an amendment by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., barring funds from going to contracts with companies that owe deferred compensation to 22 top Bush administration officials. Among them was Cheney, whose former firm, Halliburton Co., has received $1.4 billion for working to restore Iraq's oil industry.