Map courtesy of Main and Central website
This post is an observation of the previous post on this site and on the situation that may have prompted it. Please read the President’s message first.
Even though there have been and there are differing opinions about the justification for the war effort in Iraq, Americans have and do praise and support their troops. Yes, even including members of Congress – regardless of political party affiliation. With that in mind and considering President Bush‘s Radio Address, 12Dec07, asking Congress, again, to fund the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can only wonder what’s the hold up, as he said he submitted the request last February? In addition, why did the President feel compelled to address this issue in public? Since it seems that Presidents and members of Congress conduct their “wheeling and dealing” …er…negotiations out of the public’s view and that, of course, everyone correctly and strongly supports the troops, what could possibly cause the delay? Perhaps the President genuinely wanted to get Congress to approve the funding and went to the public to get Congress moving. Maybe the request was to put a distaste of Congress in the public’s view, especially of the Democratic leaders, just before the primary Presidential elections. We may never know.
This paragraph is for those in other countries. I believe what we are seeing here is an example of “Brinkmanship,” which can occur whenever the President and Congressional control are of different political parties and with different positions on an issue. This game has been played many times during the life of our country. To continue…
Perhaps the Democratic Congressional leaders are balking at allowing the funding bill to be addressed for, at least, the two following reasons:
First, Congressional leaders are working to make good on their constant drumbeat in their public pronouncements that our troops need to come home, now. Over time many Congressional Democrats have modified their positions on bringing the troops home immediately, just as some Congressional Republicans have begun to question the way the war has been conducted. Thank goodness there exists those that understand that an immediate withdrawal of our troops, as is common knowledge, might lead the way for Iraq to fall into civil war. May the level of violence in Iraq continue to fall and for both the Americans and the Iraqis with the new strategy being used there,
Lastly, maybe Congressional leaders don’t like funding other issues that they don’t favor in the same bill that funds the troops. Other issues like the private American firms performing the reconstruction of Iraq’s infrastructure with what, at least, used to be just American employees. Iraqis need jobs to help stabilize the restlessness there.
In conclusion, I would presume Congress will, in the end, fund our troops, before it adjourns for their Christmas recess both because it is the right thing to do and because it would be political suicide not to approve funding the troops.