May 01, 2007
Bush, Dems Not Budging After Iraq Timeline Veto
President Bush this evening vetoed a contested emergency war supplemental bill that came with the added string of a benchmark-contingent timeline for withdrawal from Iraq. It was only the second time Bush has vetoed a bill in his six years in office.
Polls show the war-weary public wanted Bush to sign the bill, timeline and all. In a 10-minute televised address to the nation, Bush argued that a deadline for U.S. involvement in Iraq was "a prescription for chaos and confusion, and we must not impose it on our troops."
Bush and opponents of the war have been engaged in a long-running argument about the $124 billion war supplemental, which contains funds for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not since Vietnam has such a sharp line been drawn between the executive and legislative branches over an ongoing war, and practically all possible positions -- obstinacy, compromise, resignation -- are fraught with political peril ahead of a presidential election year.
"Surely we can agree the troops are worth this funding, and that we have a responsibility to get this to them without further delay," Bush said, expressing hope that the congressional leaders he invited for a meeting at the White House tomorrow might come to a consensus.
But Bush, who laid out his argument for why war opponents were wrong to include a timeline, did not specify any areas in which he himself might be willing to relent.
Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid also gave de rigeur nods to "looking forward to working with the president" on a compromise. But there was no indication they were willing to soften their positions on a timeline, either.
"If the president thinks vetoing this bill will stop us from working to change the direction in Iraq, he is mistaken," Reid, the Senate majority leader, told reporters following Bush's address.
"If the president thinks that what's happening on the ground in Iraq now is progress, then it's clear to see why we have a disagreement on policy with him," House Speaker Pelosi said.
Earlier, Bush restated his longstanding objections to a timeline -- that it would be an announcement to terrorists in Iraq that the field would soon be clear for them to seize control of the country, that terrorists abroad would be inspired to plot more attacks on U.S. soil, that Iraqi citizens who have braved danger to go about their daily lives would feel abandoned and that U.S. troops on the ground would take the measure as a sign of their failure.
"Many Democrats saw this bill as a political opportunity to make a statement about their opposition to the war," Bush said, in an address that scolded the majority party more than it explained why Americans should hang in there on Iraq. "They sent their message, now it's time to put the bill behind us."
In some significant ways, Bush has the upper hand. From a constitutional perspective, setting war policy is generally not in the legislature's purview. And if Bush stands his ground on the timeline issue, Democrats will have to blink if they don't want to be accused of depriving the troops on the ground of training, equipment, supplies and pay.
Politically, however, Bush is taking most of the hits in this standoff. Because of public sentiment, if Democrats do eventually back off a timeline, it's not clear that Bush would emerge the winner. And congressional Democrats will likely make the path to compromise as politically painful as they can. "We look forward to working with the president on common ground," Pelosi said at the conclusion of the Democrats' press conference. "But there is great distance between us right now."
CNN, FOX News and MSNBC have video of Bush's address.
Posted at 6:42 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Iraq, President Bush
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