In a significant reversal of their pre–election anti–war posturing, several Democrats in the US Congress supported the Bush administration and approved a bill on 24 th May 2007 sanctioning US $ 100 billion to keep fighting in Iraq without setting any kind of timetable for withdrawal of US troops from that country. They have done this at a time when hundreds of thousands of people in practically every city and town of the US have come out onto the streets demanding that US troops be brought home immediately. Recent surveys show that the people of the US view the war more negatively than at any time in the past, with 76% of respondents viewing the situation for the US in Iraq as bad, and 61 % saying that the US ought to have stayed off Iraq in the first place. Approval ratings of US imperialist chieftain Bush are currently at the lowest level since he assumed office six years ago. Only a few months ago, the people of the US voiced their anger over the war in Iraq and voted overwhelmingly against the administration of US imperialist chieftain Bush. Quite a few of the members of the Democratic Party who got elected had put up a show of being opposed to the war in Iraq, and had said that a firm time–table for withdrawal of US troops must be set by the US Congress.

With this funding approval by the US Congress, the Bush administration will have sufficient funds to continue the universally detested war in Iraq at least till the end of its current presidency. With this latest instalment of US $ 100 billion, the ruling cliques of the US have allocated a total of US $ 565 billion of the US people’s money for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001.

This vote in the US Congress shows

(a) That the war in Iraq is part of the agenda of the entire ruling clique of the US, and not just of one of the two major political parties there

(b) That the people in the US are completely powerless to enforce their will through the political system and process of representative democracy

(c) That the people across the US need to unite urgently on the basis of stern opposition to the war, step up the struggle for people’s empowerment and ensure compliance of their demand “ALL US TROOPS HOME NOW!”