SCOTT MILLER
News Assistant
The story that jumped out at me this week was the threat from the Bush camp saying he would veto bills that were presented to him containing troop withdrawal timetables. It is time for Bush to stop being stubborn and hindering the funding process for troops. His party lost the midterm elections in November, and now Bush has to answer to a new Congress.
Bush has been touting his concern for the well being of the American troops in Iraq as a justification for his pending veto of the spending bill. He has also called on Congress numerous times to stop playing politics and get a new bill passed so that funding can be promptly given to the troops who are deployed. The troops do need proper funding. As one friend of mine commented, “Remember, we are pro-troops and anti-Bush.” In this sense, Bush is right that the troops are lacking funding.
However, Bush needs to stop being bull-headed. He is the one playing politics with the lives of troops overseas. By vowing this veto and disrupting Congress’ actions to bring the troops home, Bush is inevitably causing more trouble than he is helping.
As mirrored in the November elections, Americans are fed up with Bush’s tactics. He has proven himself inept when it comes to implementing and executing the war in Iraq, as well as managing it, by appointing controversial leaders like former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It is coming crashing home to Bush now that he is not the leader he would like to be; that is, unchallenged. The people, as well as many politicians have come to disagree with the handling of the war, and have therefore elected to take another route for the war’s strategy. A key part of this new strategy includes a near future withdrawal of troops in the war in Iraq.
Bush and his fellow neo-cons are no longer in power in Congress. He needs to realize that things will not be going his way for the rest of his lame-duck period, and his only bet is to start negotiating and compromising with Congressional Democrats. This is his only hope. The unwavering partisanship that he is trying to pull is harmful for the country and the troops in the Middle East.
As I said in last week’s column, the current bill is a worthy one. However, Bush will not even consider it, and is vowing to veto any legislation that includes a clause with a timetable. It is not the progressive tactics that are harming the troops and preventing funding for the troops as Bush alleges, but himself, who is staunchly defending a partisan position, rather than adapting to the change in Congressional leadership parties.
Accepting this change and trying to compromise on certain points will be much more effective for all parties involved. The key to democracy is compromise, not hardline party line towing. The best hope for the United State’s troops in the Middle East is learning to compromise on these issues.
However, until that time, funding for troops will be unstable at best, and withdrawal dates will continue to be a hazy mystery in the future.
04-05-2007