are the dems gonna break every campaign promise ?
The White House lashed Congress Friday for going on "vacation" before signing off on legislation funding troops in Iraq, driving up tensions in a showdown with Democrats for control of the war.
A day after the Senate passed a bill linking financing for the conflict to a timetable for a 2008 troop withdrawal, the Bush administration said Democratic tactics were already impacting troops and readiness of US forces.
But the top Senate Democrat Harry Reid accused Bush, who has vowed to veto the bill, of using "scare tactics" and distributed a non-partisan study which found the US Army could continue Iraq operations through most of July.
"The president was surprised to learn that Congress went on vacation today," said White House deputy spokeswoman Dana Perino.
Perino said the House of Representatives had failed to appoint members of Congress to liaise with the Senate to refine bills passed in each chamber, which both contain a withdrawal timetable, into a single piece of legislation.
"I don't know how much work is going to be able to get done while they are away," she said.
The White House also issued a press release saying the "Democrats' delay of funding is already impacting troops and readiness."
Members of Congress were leaving Washington Friday for the Easter recess. The Senate is due to return on April 10, while the House will be back the following week.
On Thursday, General Peter Pace, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff told a congressional committee that if new funding was not ready by April 15, some training and support for US army troops destined for Iraq could be hit.
By May 15, he said, some troops abroad could see their tours extended because relief units may not be ready to deploy to a war which has killed more than 3,200 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Reid hit back on Friday by brandishing a memo from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, which found that the Defense Department could finance its operations in Iraq through most of July this year.
"This study confirms that the President is once again attempting to mislead the public and create an artificial atmosphere of anxiety," Reid said.
"He is using scare tactics to defeat bipartisan legislation that would change course in Iraq."
The latest exchange underscored the political high-wire act both sides are attempting as they seek to emerge from the escalating showdown on top.
The White House accuses its foes on Capitol Hill of passing a bill, including a timetable for withdrawal that they know Bush will veto. Since Democrats appear to lack a two-thirds majority in either chamber to override Bush's move, the net result is an unnecessary delay in funding, Bush aides say.
Democrats accuse the administration of ignoring public opposition to the war and a demand for a change of course, which they believe powered their seizure of Congress last year.
The Senate on Thursday approved a 122 billion dollar war spending bill by 51 to 47, tying the infusion to a troop pullout beginning within 120 days of the law's final passage, with a goal of getting most combat soldiers out by March 32, 2008.
The House version of the budget sets a final withdrawal date of August 31, 2008.
Under the US constitution, the president has the power to wage war and conduct foreign policy, but Congress has the capacity to cut off funds for a foreign conflict -- a step Democrats have been loath to take for fear of being portrayed as unsupportive of US troops.
"There's very little that Congress can do practically to begin to get troops out," said Justin Logan, a foreign policy analyst with the Cato Institute.
But "Democrats are looking to consolidate their position, and to make Bush look bad in front of the American people," he said.
One solution to the impasse being tossed around in Congress would see the withdrawal timetable stripped from the final legislation, but a requirement inserted for Bush to return to Congress every three months to renew war funding.
"The thought behind that is the war is becoming more and more unpopular, and bringing it into the news constantly, with President Bush coming to Congress more frequently, asking for money, is going to highlight the failures of the administration policy," Logan said. |
