The American public voted for a real change of direction in Iraq, not more of the same but with half the effort. You gave us an effort that was barely acceptable to the architects of the escalation plan. You irresponsibly failed to include the cost of the occupation in the regular budget process – thereby falsely providing “optimistic” projections of a balanced budget.
The American public overwhelmingly is in favor of timetables for withdrawal, yet you already vetoed a bill that included timetables. The Democrats came back with a proposed bill that would provide funding without timetables, yet you have promised to veto that if the bill is passed in the Senate. Of course, we will see a similar vote on this bill as the prior one:
House members will vote Thursday on a new Iraq bill hotly contested by the White House, opposed by nearly all Republicans and unlikely to survive in the Senate.
Miraculously, that other bill which was unlikely to survive in the Senate somehow survived in the Senate.
So, now the Democrats have made major concessions in bringing not one but TWO bills to a vote that would provide funding for the continuation of an occupation that (1) was illegal and immoral in the first place and (2) getting worse by the day as violence against our troops, between Iraqis and against Iraqi forces has been escalating faster than the half baked escalation plan that you put forth. While these concessions are more that the American public is looking for, Americans are just as overwhelmingly in favor of the Democrats in the debate over Iraq.
As Devilstower points out the republicans are starting to fear for their political lives. And with the promises by republicans in Congress back in January that we would know how successful the escalation would be within 60 to 90 days on top of the daily reports of dozens of deaths, scores in injuries, multiple bombings and bullet riddled bodies being found, there is even less patience for a continuation of the complete failure of a “new direction”.
Which brings me to the latest threat by Bush to veto another Iraq spending bill. Democrats are gaining more support. Republicans are reading the writing on the wall. We the People don’t want to wait until September to hear “officially” what we are already seeing. We see the raging civil war. We read about the increase in death and violence. We know that the Iraqi Parliament has already checked out for the summer, if not physically, then mentally.
The dreams of a “permanent republican majority” are long LONG gone. Even if (as some have mentioned around here) the republicans are purposely punting on 2008 in hopes of coming back in 2010 or 2012, I don’t see any reason why Waxman, Conyers, Boxer and their colleagues will stop looking to clean out the foul stench of the past 6 years. Coupled with the collective awakening of the American public to the horrors that were kept from them and enabled by the republicans, we are on the precipice of what could, in a few years, be a veto proof majority for the Democrats.
We’ve had enough. Even some of the hardcore supporters have had enough. Hell, no president in a generation has been hated as much as you are now, and even the offspring of past republican presidents are considering voting Democratic.
So, please, veto this bill. And the next one too. After all, it will ensure that the republicans are the ones who did not want the troops to get the equipment they need, in addition to the track record of not equipping, arming or providing them the proper training, rest or healthcare. If a bill doesn’t get passed and signed, then there are no more funds.
Plus, if the republicans keep voting against the will of the American people and with your ever sinking ship, there will be no more republican majority for a helluva long time.
