I have reached the conclusion that SI has reduced the size of each post allowed by about two thirds. I am going to post a comment at the start where necessary, as much of the article as is needed to give the "flavor" of it, and a URL. I hope the rest of you follow suit.
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washingtonpost.com
When Resolve Against Bush Melts
Hill Usually Defers to Commander in Chief on Military Issues
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 9, 2003; Page A08
In a seeming display of political independence, the Republican-controlled Senate defied President Bush in mid-October and voted to convert $10 billion of his proposed aid package to Iraq into a loan. Two weeks later, senators quietly converted the reconstruction money back into an outright grant, without so much as a roll call vote.
Bush's victory underscored a fundamental dynamic of the Republican-controlled 108th Congress: The president virtually always prevails on military and national security issues, despite the public's deepening skepticism about U.S. policy in Iraq. Lawmakers may defy him on domestic issues directly affecting their constituents -- such as rules limiting overtime pay. But when the president bears down hard, especially on international matters, their defiance almost always melts.
"You get, in effect, the equivalent of a French poodle that occasionally yaps at its master and bares its teeth, but if there's something of consequence to the administration, particularly when it comes to international affairs, it's going to back down," said Norman Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
In recent interviews, several senators said they felt they had no choice but to reverse course and approve the Iraq reconstruction money as a grant, given Bush's insistence that Iraq not be saddled with further debts. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) said he still believes a loan "was the right way to go," but added: "The power of the veto is pretty substantial, particularly on something that's time-sensitive."
During a White House meeting with senators, the president became visibly angry and pounded the table to make his case, participants said. "In the face of the president's very, very strong position, it seemed to me something Congress should yield on," said Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).
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