A Chairman, a Chairman and a Secretary in a Senate Brawl
Preaching to the Chorus
By Dana Milbank Thursday, September 27, 2007; A02
Democrats' anger has built for weeks over their failure to end the war in Iraq. When Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday, the lid came off.
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Appropriations Committee, didn't just harangue the two men. He did so in triplicate.
"Funding for the war in Iraq will exceed 600 billion -- billion! billion! -- dollars!" the 89-year-old lawmaker bellowed, pointing his finger wildly while Gates picked at his cuticles.
"All of this for a war -- a war! a war! -- that General Petraeus, two weeks ago, could not say had made Americans safer!"
"A long-term presence could cost well in excess of 2 trillion -- 2 trillion! Yes, you heard me -- 2 trillion!"
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When you can coax Senator Byrd off his branch long enough to stop pontificating about his dog or the…