By Rori Black
Bush is preparing to use his veto power for the second time his presidency; the first was to to lift a ban on federal funding for new embryonic stem cell research, the second the recent funding bill with a time table for troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Bush has used the most powerful of the presidential tools, the veto, less than any other president. Franklin D Roosevelt leads the pack with 635.
The time table is a proposal only, not a mandate. Bush, showing a lack of understanding of the word “compromise” has sworn to work with the majority party to pass the funding bill… without the time line.
The vetoes stubbornly go against the will of the American people who disapprove of his of Iraq policy and support further stem cell research.
What is Bush saying? That troops and sick Americans are worth less than fetuses? The US continues to send underfunded, under-armored, stop lossed, reuped, exhausted, wounded, mentally ill soldiers into Iraq; probably until the mess can be dumped into the lap of the next president. Terminally ill patients will die with no hope because new stem cell lines are not available for research; lines that are slated for destruction anyway. Bush has not gone to a single military funeral, but he will cut short his vacation to interfere in a private, family decision to remove a brain dead woman from life support.
Those who are willing to give their lives for this country, and those among us who need us the most are worth less than a non-self-sustaining organism.
Categories: Politics/Law/Government
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 
But a veto also further isolates him and makes him even less capable of doing anything for the next 20 months outside of running around putting out fires.
It’s a sad comment on the system where paralyzing government can be viewed as a victory, but if we can get to January 2009 without him doing too much more damage….
I see your point, and absolutely agree with your post of the other day about the opportunities that all of these scandals and buffoonery create.
However, I have a slight nit to pick – and it’s not an attack on you, more of a rhetorical question – how many troops and Iraqi civilian lives is “too much more”? A report out today says that terrorism is up 25% since 2005, focused mainly in Iraq.
My great fear is that this administration is going to dump the war in the laps of the next one so that when all the shit hits the fan, the amazing American short term memory pandemic will take over and pin the blame on the next (Dem) president.
Oh hell – any more is too many more. And I’ve been saying that the genius of the GOP strategy is to steal everything that isn’t nailed down and dig a hole so deep that all the presidents on Rushmore couldn’t get out in four years. Then lob up a sacrificial lamb in 2008, take your beating, and spend the next four years telling the world how inept the Dem leadership is. March back into DC in 2012 behind – gods help us – somebody like Jeb.
I don’t think winning in 2008 is the hard part (although it’s by no means guaranteed). I think doing a good enough job on the policy and messaging front to hold in 2012 is the trick.
First he blocks stem cell research that could save the lives of thousands of Americans suffering from severe illnesses, then he vetoes a bill that pulls thousands of troops out of harm’s way. Bush has to be the most pro-death “pro-lifer” I’ve ever heard of.
Let’s not forget the number of people that were executed by the state of Texas during his time as Governor.