WASHINGTON - Today will mark the 9th policy meeting President Barrack Obama will convene on the war in Afghanistan, but the word is that there will be no decision before Thanksgiving weekend. 

Congressman David Obey (WI-D), who is chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations has cosponsored the new bill HR 4130  and released a statement with John Murtha (PA-D) and John Larson (D-CT) saying, "For the last year, as we've struggled to pass healthcare reform, we've been told that we have to pay for the bill - and the cost over the next decade will be about a trillion dollars. Now the President is being asked to consider an enlarged counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan, which proponents tell us will take at least a decade and would also cost about a trillion dollars. But unlike the healthcare bill, that would not be paid for. We believe that's wrong," said Obey, Murtha and Larson. "Regardless of whether one favors the war or not, if it is to be fought, it ought to be paid for."

The bill aims, "to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a temporary surtax to offset the costs of the Afghanistan war" and is referred to as the Share the Sacrifice Act of 2010. 

There's no telling what sort of backlash a bill like this could garner from a general public that is struggling with foreclosures, debt, and most importantly jobs. However, the conflicts the United States finds itself in abroad don't seem to have any easy answers, or at least answers that many people will like.  There is no doubt that public support for the war in Afghanistan has waned even though US interests in the region is as important as ever, then couple that with the terrible jobs market in the US, we have a very bad decision making environment, at least politically.

The release of this statement is obviously a way to put pressure on the President not to greatly expand the mission in Afghanistan, but as the Congressmen noted in their statement on the bill, "If we don't address the cost of this war, we will continue shoving billions of dollars in taxes off on future generations and will devour money that could be used to rebuild our economy by fixing our broken health care system, expanding educational opportunities and job training possibilities, attacking our long term energy problems and building stronger communities. We cannot allow the war to derail that potential"

Will a surtax for the war ever see the light of day with the current economic woes everyone in the US is suffering through?  If it does, no one will be blaming Bush, even if it's the right thing to do.

Additional sponsors of this bill include, Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA), Congressman Raul Grijalva (DAZ), Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN), Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA).