Thank God the House is acting on this critical issue:

House Votes to Ban Permanent Bases in Iraq

“The Democratic Congress will go on record – every day if necessary – to register a judgment in opposition to the course of action that the President is taking in Iraq. The Democratic Congress will go on record – every day if necessary – to fight for a redeployment of our forces as the central element of a New Direction strategy for Iraq.”

- Speaker Pelosi, 7/25/07

Today, the House passed H.R. 2929, Banning Permanent U.S. Bases in Iraq. This bill states that it is the policy of the United States not to establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing a permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq. It also states that it is the policy of the United States not to exercise U.S. control of the oil resources of Iraq. The measure bars the use of any funds provided by any law from being used to carry out any policy that contradicts these statements of policy.

Why is this futile?

First I don’t recall anyone suggesting we do.  This is an empty threat.

Second, of all the military bases in the world, having bases in the middle east might actually be somewhat strategic, more so than many other bases. 

Congress seems to forget that we have military bases worldwide, over 700 in more then 50 countries.  The military should determine whether Iraq is strategic.

Not Nancy Pelosi.

There are a ton of actual important issues Congress is ignoring so they can trot out this dog and pony show to appease the nutroots.

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You would think he would have been nailed long before.  He was active constantly in his never ending quest to convince people his wild theories are true, did it never occur to him that his own truth would be exposed?

The story comes from Newsbusters and Hot Air, via Orbusmax:

Movie creator charged

An Oneonta man who helped produce a 9/11 conspiracy documentary that became an Internet hit was arrested Monday for allegedly deserting the Army.

Korey Rowe, 24, a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, was picked up by deputies at about 10:45 p.m. Monday, Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr. said.

Rowe was arrested on a “military warrant” that Devlin said was brought to the attention of deputies by the Oneonta Police Department, who received information from a source outside of that department.

Rowe previously told The Daily Star he enlisted in August 2001. He left the Army in June 2005, according to the Louder Than Words website.

He seems to have not shared how and why he left.

The Associated Press reported last month that deserters are rarely court-martialed by the Army.

Although 3,301 soldiers deserted in the 2006 fiscal year, there were just 174 troops court-martialed.

The AP report said some deserters are returned to their units, while others are discharged in non-criminal proceedings.

It isn’t like the Army cared, really.

Desertion rates have been rising since 2004, but the Army does little to seek out deserters and instead relies on a database that can be cross-checked by local law-enforcement agencies during encounters such as traffic stops, the report states.

The Department of Defense public-affairs office did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday.

Of course the innuendo will be that he was grabbed for underhanded reasons.

A woman who answered Rowe’s cell phone Tuesday and identified herself only as Kristy said Rowe was “taken” from a house Monday night.