February 11, 2009 5:05 PM
- Text
Bush, Congress At Loggerheads Over Iraq
(CBS/AP)
President Bush said the point is clear: "The voters in America want Congress to support our troops who are in harm's way."
No, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Democrats are the ones who "represent the American people's vision on this failed war," and they won't allow Mr. Bush's policy to continue.
Mr. Bush denied Tuesday that he is isolated, but not only does he have very little control over his own party, Democrats now feel free to defy him openly, reports CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante.
"Members of Congress are home now, back in their districts, listening, talking to their constituents. That will either get them feeling more emboldened, as they come back to Congress, that they're really right in standing up to the president, or you may see folks branching off," Amy Walters, senior editor of the Cook Political Report, said on CBS News' The Early Show.
Both sides claimed on Tuesday to have the public in their corner on the Iraq war.
With Congress out of town, President Bush tried to take the upper hand over Democrats who are making increasing forays into foreign policy as his term dwindles and his approval ratings remain low. He called them "irresponsible" for going on spring break without approving money for the Iraq war with no strings.
He also condemned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria, too, accusing her of encouraging a terrorism sponsor.
Democrats, buoyed by recent Republican defections from Mr. Bush on Iraq, shot back that they are pursuing effective solutions overseas in response to a national desire for change from his approach.
In the meantime, said Reid at a ceremony for a new Nevada National Guard armory near Las Vegas, "we have said time and time again the troops will have everything they need."
Speaking a day before he heads out of town for six days for events in the West and an Easter break at his ranch, the president said Democrats are failing their responsibility to the troops and the nation's security by leaving for their own recess after passing bills to fund the war that contain timelines for American withdrawal.
President Bush takes his "Support the Troops" message first to Fort Irwin, Calif., home of one of the army's top training centers. "He'll address the troops about his dispute with Congress over the Iraq funding bill, though we're told the rhetoric will be more 'gentle' than yesterday," reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.
Given his promised veto of anything containing a deadline — and the likelihood that his veto would be sustained on Capitol Hill — Mr. Bush said Democrats are merely engaging in games that "undercut the troops."
"Democrat leaders in Congress seem more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than in providing our troops what they need to fight the battles in Iraq," President Bush said. "In a time of war, it's irresponsible for the Democrat leadership — Democratic leadership in Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds."
Nearly two months ago, the president asked for more than $100 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year. Congress has approved the money, but the Senate added a provision also calling for most U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraq by March 31, 2008. The House version demands a September 2008 withdrawal.
These bills still must be reconciled before legislation can be sent to the president.
"They need to come off their vacation, get a bill to my desk, and if it's got strings and mandates and withdrawals and pork I'll veto it," Mr. Bush said. "And then we can get down to the business of getting this thing done."
Not so fast, Democrats responded.
"Americans want compromise, not a cowboy-style showdown," said House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.
The 2006 election "was a referendum against something, not for something," Walters told Early Show co-anchor Russ Mitchell. "You have Democrats who are still trying to find their way, yet voters have not given them a real road map to say this is exactly what we want. So it's very dangerous" for the Democrats.
Fresh from a briefing by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the president sought to put pressure on Democrats by detailing ways that delaying the money could harm troops and their families.
After the current $70 billion war appropriation runs out in mid-April, Mr. Bush said, the military would have to consider cutting back on equipment, repairs and training for National Guard and reserve forces. After mid-May, he said, more steps would be considered, such as delaying or curtailing the training of some active duty forces.
Despite President Bush's warnings, dire consequences can be avoided even after the money starts to run out. It has become routine in recent years for Pentagon accountants to move money around in the department's half-trillion-dollar budget to make sure operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are not disrupted. The money is repaid, usually with minimal disruption, when the president signs a new war spending bill.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, Mr. Bush and Congress have about three months to resolve their standoff before Iraq operations would actually be affected.
Democrats told the president to stop blaming them for being the ones to keep money from soldiers, and to start negotiating.
"If President Bush vetoes funding for the troops, he will be the one who is blocking funding for the troops. Nobody else," said presidential candidate John Edwards.
No, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Democrats are the ones who "represent the American people's vision on this failed war," and they won't allow Mr. Bush's policy to continue.
Mr. Bush denied Tuesday that he is isolated, but not only does he have very little control over his own party, Democrats now feel free to defy him openly, reports CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante.
"Members of Congress are home now, back in their districts, listening, talking to their constituents. That will either get them feeling more emboldened, as they come back to Congress, that they're really right in standing up to the president, or you may see folks branching off," Amy Walters, senior editor of the Cook Political Report, said on CBS News' The Early Show.
Both sides claimed on Tuesday to have the public in their corner on the Iraq war.
With Congress out of town, President Bush tried to take the upper hand over Democrats who are making increasing forays into foreign policy as his term dwindles and his approval ratings remain low. He called them "irresponsible" for going on spring break without approving money for the Iraq war with no strings.
He also condemned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria, too, accusing her of encouraging a terrorism sponsor.
Democrats, buoyed by recent Republican defections from Mr. Bush on Iraq, shot back that they are pursuing effective solutions overseas in response to a national desire for change from his approach.
In the meantime, said Reid at a ceremony for a new Nevada National Guard armory near Las Vegas, "we have said time and time again the troops will have everything they need."
Speaking a day before he heads out of town for six days for events in the West and an Easter break at his ranch, the president said Democrats are failing their responsibility to the troops and the nation's security by leaving for their own recess after passing bills to fund the war that contain timelines for American withdrawal.
President Bush takes his "Support the Troops" message first to Fort Irwin, Calif., home of one of the army's top training centers. "He'll address the troops about his dispute with Congress over the Iraq funding bill, though we're told the rhetoric will be more 'gentle' than yesterday," reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.
Given his promised veto of anything containing a deadline — and the likelihood that his veto would be sustained on Capitol Hill — Mr. Bush said Democrats are merely engaging in games that "undercut the troops."
"Democrat leaders in Congress seem more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than in providing our troops what they need to fight the battles in Iraq," President Bush said. "In a time of war, it's irresponsible for the Democrat leadership — Democratic leadership in Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds."
Nearly two months ago, the president asked for more than $100 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year. Congress has approved the money, but the Senate added a provision also calling for most U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraq by March 31, 2008. The House version demands a September 2008 withdrawal.
These bills still must be reconciled before legislation can be sent to the president.
"They need to come off their vacation, get a bill to my desk, and if it's got strings and mandates and withdrawals and pork I'll veto it," Mr. Bush said. "And then we can get down to the business of getting this thing done."
Not so fast, Democrats responded.
"Americans want compromise, not a cowboy-style showdown," said House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.
The 2006 election "was a referendum against something, not for something," Walters told Early Show co-anchor Russ Mitchell. "You have Democrats who are still trying to find their way, yet voters have not given them a real road map to say this is exactly what we want. So it's very dangerous" for the Democrats.
Fresh from a briefing by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the president sought to put pressure on Democrats by detailing ways that delaying the money could harm troops and their families.
After the current $70 billion war appropriation runs out in mid-April, Mr. Bush said, the military would have to consider cutting back on equipment, repairs and training for National Guard and reserve forces. After mid-May, he said, more steps would be considered, such as delaying or curtailing the training of some active duty forces.
Despite President Bush's warnings, dire consequences can be avoided even after the money starts to run out. It has become routine in recent years for Pentagon accountants to move money around in the department's half-trillion-dollar budget to make sure operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are not disrupted. The money is repaid, usually with minimal disruption, when the president signs a new war spending bill.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, Mr. Bush and Congress have about three months to resolve their standoff before Iraq operations would actually be affected.
Democrats told the president to stop blaming them for being the ones to keep money from soldiers, and to start negotiating.
"If President Bush vetoes funding for the troops, he will be the one who is blocking funding for the troops. Nobody else," said presidential candidate John Edwards.
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