DON’T CALL IT A NEGOTIATION

A few days ago President Bush invited Democratic leaders to the White House to accept his demand for continued, unfettered funding of the war. When Bush invited the Democratic leaders, it seemed to offer the opportunity for a breakthrough in their differences over the war.

Without giving hope of a compromise, Bush said “We can discuss the way forward on a bill that is a clean bill, a bill that funds our troops without artificial timetables for withdrawal and without handcuffing our generals on the ground.”

Anyone else would have read the Republican’s loss of Congress as a sign that the American voters wanted both parties to work together, but Bush can’t change his outlook. The only way he will cooperate is “My way or the highway”.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, hastened to declare: "I will point out to you, this is not a negotiation."

The Democrats refused the invitation. Nancy Pelosi said “What the president invited us to do is to come to his office so that we could accept, without discussion, the bill that he wants.” Several hours earlier Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada also rejected the invitation.
Apparently rejecting the idea of the Constitution, Bush argued that Congress has no right to set such timetables for troop withdrawals because they restrict his authority as commander in chief.

"The president is now having to deal with a Congress," Reid said. "He has never had to do that before. The president in the past, he has just done whatever he wanted. He had a big rubber stamp up here on Capitol Hill."

Daily, the White House makes a point of reminding the Democrats that Bush will veto any bill with a timetable for withdrawal of the troops and they don’t have the votes to override the veto.
Today it was announced that the two leading Democrats, Pelosi and Reid will indeed attend the conference. Thanks guys for standing your ground, showing what you are made of and your resolve.

The California Curmudgeon