Congress Blinks In Stare-Down Over Timetable

Written by: Aaron M. Watkins

I wrote an article called "Iraq Spending Bill: Creating Necessary Changes" mere days ago outlining some of the options congress had for the troop withdrawal stipulation in the Iraq Spending Bill.

However I was adamant that Congress NOT negotiate and NOT compromise with the White House over the articles containing the timeline for troop withdrawal.

I felt that Congress needed to continue sending bill after bill containing timelines for troop withdrawal, and if those bills were vetoed by the President it would continue to set precedents; precedents saying that George W. Bush is ignoring the will of the people and defying Congress, and is vetoing a bill in the face of American will.
However, my worst fear has now been realized. Congress folded like a cheap tent and has removed the articles containing a timeline for troop withdrawal.

I had faith that FINALLY, a group of people (Congress) were going to stand up to the President and not back down until our troops were coming home, with a solution to the power vacuum outlined, and a clear proposal for a diplomatic solution to the problems in Iraq (and the entire Middle East for that matter).

Instead Congress bowed down to Bush and the White House and has decided to do the current administration's bidding. No one is standing up and saying "what the hell is going on here”! We should be in the streets over this, not sitting on our asses waiting for someone else to do something about it.

We thought finally something was going to get done about creating a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. The Democrats were in a position to make this happen, or to at least continue setting precedents by sending bills with strict articles containing timetables.

When Bush vetoes a bill that has passed in both houses of Congress, it sets a precedent. It makes official the will of the people, and the denial of such by the President, and draws the line in the sand.

The Democrats have completely folded (I suppose it was naive of me to expect that they wouldn't) and have essentially written Bush the "blank check" that they so adamantly protested.

Instead of setting a precedent in favor of ending the war, Congress has now set a precedent to the contrary. They have essentially said that ending the war is not worth the effort. They have tried to distract the American people by touting the $20 billion worth of pork projects they have included in the Iraq Spending Bill like it is some sort of worthy substitute for a troop withdrawal timetable.

The Democrats have also conspicuously attached an increase in the minimum wage to the Iraq Spending Bill. The minimum wage hasn’t been raised in over a decade, and to attach it to the Iraq Spending Bill is quite suspicious.

This is an obvious attempt by the Democrats to distract the American people from the removal of the troop withdrawal timetable with frivolous articles that have nothing to do with Iraq spending. While an increase in the federal minimun wage is definately a positive for the American people, the timing of it's inclusion, however, is quite suspicious indeed.

I, for one, am not distracted by all these bells and whistles, and see right through the charade, and I hope you do as well. I realize now that nobody in a position to do so wants to end this pointless, illegal war; and why would they? Members of both parties stand to make (or continue making rather) money off the occupation of Iraq.

The problem is not partisan disagreement as they would have you and I believe. On the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives, Republicans and Democrats may battle like bitter enemies, but I guarantee you, behind closed doors they’ll agree that making money is priority numero uno. And guess who is going to foot the bill? WAKE UP AMERICA!