OPNTALK

Showdown Coming, Congress Approval Not So Good.

Hey folks,

It’s FRIDAY! It is also a busy day so let’s get right to it. First up, the battle heats up between Congress and the President. The Constitutional showdown grows closer. According to the AP, by Richard Cowan Thu Mar 29, 5:13 PM ET.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday defied a veto threat by President George W. Bush and joined with the House of Representatives in backing a timetable for withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq.

In a mostly party-line 51-47 vote, the Democratic-controlled Senate told Bush to start withdrawing the troops this year with the goal of getting all combat soldiers out by March 31, 2008.

"The ball is in the president's court. We have done what we needed to do" by passing a bill with even more money for the troops and veterans than Bush requested, said House Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.

Yes, LWL Leader Reid, along with a bunch of pork to buy the votes. You DID do your part to try to cause the defeat of this country and open us up to further attacks. Congratulations, you should be, oh wait, you ARE proud of that. Moron. Now the President WILL do what he has to do. Veto it.

Democrats' moves to end the war through legislation kicked off another round of accusations from the White House and Congress over which would be to blame if money is not quickly delivered to the troops.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with House Republican leaders, Bush said, "We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we've got a troop in harm's way, we expect that troop to be fully funded."

Reid countered that Democrats were following through on voters' demands last November for better oversight of the war. He said if Bush vetoes whatever compromise the House and Senate craft, "I don't know if you can find any president who has done more to undermine the troops."

WAIT! That is a bunch of bunk. More on that statement by Reid a little bit later,

Then the LA Times, By Noam N. Levey and Joel Havemann Times Staff Writers 9:04 AM PDT, March 29, 2007, reported this.

WASHINGTON — Within an hour of President Bush's most direct veto threat yet, the Senate gave final approval today to a timetable for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq as part of a bill to pay for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through Sept. 30.

The Senate today endorsed a goal of withdrawing U.S. forces by March 31, 2008. On Friday, the House passed a bill that mandates a withdrawal no later than August 2008, and sooner if the Iraqi government does not meet a series of benchmarks.

Leaders of the two chambers will meet immediately to reconcile the differences between the two plans, a process fraught with its own potential pitfalls because the bills were carefully crafted to draw enough support to pass.

Then they actually print the President's FULL statement.

"I'll veto a bill that restricts our commanders on the ground in Iraq, a bill that doesn't fund our troops, a bill that's got too much spending on it," Bush said.

"We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we've got our troops in harm's way, we expect that troop to be fully funded; when we got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders; and that we expect the Congress to be wise about how they spend the people's money."

But I love this one in the Christian Science Monitor. First they repeat what I, your’s truly, reported to you yesterday,

"The House and Senate bills have ... too many conditions on our commanders and an artificial timetable for withdrawal. And I have made it clear for weeks: If either version comes to my desk, I'm going to veto it," Bush said Wednesday during an appearance at a Washington meeting of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

then this,

Some political observers suggest this moment may mark an important shift in how Bush works with Congress – and some see him likely to draw a line in sand in terms of willingness to yield to Congress's will on Iraq.

"The president is almost completely encircled, and his one avenue of escape is the veto," says Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. "This may signal a period in his presidency when the veto becomes his principal communication with Congress."

{Laughing} "This may signal a period in his presidency when the veto becomes his principal communication with Congress." Probably. He has to keep the insane from destroying this country.

Ok I know I’m going long again, but this is important. LWL Leaders Reid and Pelosi both keep saying Democrats were following through on voters' demands last November for better oversight of the war. They say they were voted in to end the war.

First, the voters continually said they were voting for a "new direction" in the war. A "new direction" does not mean surrender. It could mean that, or MORE troops to WIN the war. It could mean a lot of things more than just cut, run, and surrender. The LWL are trying to make you belief it is. Second, it seems this new poll says only 20 percent of Americans give Congress a high approval rating of the job Congress is doing.{Laughing} Only 20 percent high approval rating? To listen to them, ALL American are on their side. Not quite correct. According to rasmussenreports.com Thu Mar 29, 10:32 AM ET

Twenty percent (20%) of Americans give Congress a good or excellent rating these days. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey found that 41% say the nation's legislators are doing a fair job while 38% say poor.

Bleak as those numbers are, they represent an improvement since the Democrats have taken power. In December, just 11% gave Congress a good or excellent rating while 47% say they were doing a poor job. That was the last survey conducted while the GOP was in charge. Democrats are currently trusted more than Republicans on a variety of issues including how to handle the situation in Iraq. However, ratings for Congress remain far lower than for the President.

This can’t be good news for them. I bet you, after these votes, this number will plummet. More bad news?

Thirteen percent (13%) believe that most members of Congress are sincerely interested in helping people while 70% say the Representatives are mostly interested in their own careers.