Veto in the Mist

The much talked about Iraq spending bill, which was recently approved by Congress, is now on its way to the White House where it will be greeted by the Veto stamp of President Bush. Mr. Bush rarely exercises his veto power the last time being in September of 2006 when he shot down the embryonic stem-cell bill.

The bill in question allocates 124 billion dollars to war spending however, the killer caveat which is the basis of Mr. Bush's veto is the October 1st pull-out date.

Muddy Water

The business of politics is a messy one. And if one ever feels the compulsion to take a closer look at the way in which our country is run on a daily basis, I guarantee you they will almost automatically assume we are breaking the law. However, this messy business sometimes is perfectly legal, although, that does not necessarily mean it does not dance the line between ethical and not so ethical. This kind of foggy distinction is the basis of the call to arms by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), John Kerry (D-MA), and Robert Casey (D-PN). This happy trio of ultra-liberal Senators is calling for a review of the recess appointment of Sam Fox to the post of Ambassador to Belgium. Sam Fox, is known to have donated money to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group which attacked Kerry's military record and some would attribute as one of the agents of his downfall. With this record, one can be certain that Mr. Fox would never have survived a Congressional Approval Hearing with a Democratic majority. As such, President Bush got Mr. Fox in via a recess appointment effectively taking Congress out of the equation. Although that may seem...seedy, which it more or less is, it is not illegal. However, we will probably see the public siding with the Democratic Senators, for the composure of this appointment does indeed come across as, well, just as they say it is. In the end though, one has to remember that Washington is a giant sausage factory, and no one really wants to know how it is all made.

State of the Union Cliff Notes

I took these during the SOTU, and I will share them with you.

State of the Union 2007
in order as they are addressed

-Madame Speaker-
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
-remarks on speaker
-congrats to dem majority
-7.2 million new jobs
-3 economic reforms
-balance budget
-without raising taxes
-deficit cut in half
-get rid of deficit in five years
-restrain federal spending
-no applause from Hillary
-earmarks
-cspan joke
-crackdown
-entitlements
-social security
-education
- no child left behind
-raise standards
-promote achievement
-funding for struggling students
-math and science
-reauthorization
-Healthcare
-reform 4,500 per family of 4
-tax code reform to allow affordability of healthcare
-federal support of state insurance
-affordable choices grants
-expand health savings accounts
-medical liability reform
-Secure border
-double border patrol size
-temporary worker program
-employment immigration reform
-call for debate
-Oil
-America's dependency
-Clean coal, nuclear, solar
-hybrid, biodiseal
-ethanol
-reduce gasoline usage in the US 20% in next 10 years
-mandatory fuel standard
-modernize fuel economy standards for cars
-Doubling strategic oil reserves
-Courts
-fair hearing
-prompt voting
-Homeland Security
-call for debate
-take the fight to the enemy
-all standing
-prevented plots
-lists stopped terror plots
-sunni extremists
-preach with threats
-promise paradise for murder
-quotes warning from terror leader
-shia extremists
-Iran
-hezbollah
-threat to democracy, gain weapons
-dangers have not ended
-lawful and proper tool...to protect american people
-desire for liberty in middle east
-syria
-afghai elections
-iraqi (3) elections
-12 million citizens vote
-2006 hezbollah
-undermine lebanon's government
-al qaeda- blew up mosque
-sectarian violence
-can't leave iraq behind
-victory in iraq
-New Iraq Strategy
-iraqi government must stop sectarian violence
-20,000 soldiers to baghdad, clear and hold
-advisers
-an-bar province
-aid local forces 4,000 troops
-prevent iraq from being taken by al-qaeda
-iraq support with troops and confront radicals
-take back capital
-commitment to people of iraq
-strategy best chance for success
-if we pull out, (basically chaos)
-iraq cannot fall to terrorists
-War on Terror
-did not vote for failure (iraq)
-support our troops
-war on terror will continue on
-bipartisan council on war on terror
-authorize increase size of marine corp
-volunteer civilian reserve core
-diplomatic strategy
-multinational force
-mideast allies
-sanctions on iran
-democratic palestinian state
-diplomacy on korean peninsula
-asian allies
-cuba
-darfur
-Misc.(includes special mentions)
-fight aids in africa
-poverty/hunger
-emergency plan for aids relief
-50,000 increase to 800,000 with aids medicine
-combat malaria in africa
-millennium challenge account
-trade and debt relief
-special guest, from africa, in NBA
-julie clark-baby einstein company
-american enterprise
-child help
-children have the right to live in a world that is safe
-wesley autrey
-subway hero
-tommy rieman
-used body as shield to protect gunner
-kept fighting
-State of the Union is strong

Cleaning House

Last night President George W. Bush announced to a weary nation a plan for victory in Iraq. However, the nation looks on this plan with a skepticism fueled by the barrage of bad press and scandal that has surrounded both the Bush administration and the war itself. In what some would consider the most important speech of his career, the president let fall the blame of past failures upon himself in the hopes that this nation could move on and in doing so secure Iraq and allow it to prosper under the flag of democracy and liberty for all. His speech outlined a plan to send around 20,000 more troops to Iraq mainly to Baghdad. Where upon those troops would be embedded with Iraqi battalions already in the region. They would begin the difficult process of clearing and holding parts of the key 30 mile region. This surge of troops allows for a 1 to 50 task ratio which in military terms is just what you want as opposed to the vastly outnumbered troops in Iraq prior to this plan. However, the greatest obstacle this plan faces is not the lack of man power, we have plenty of that, but rather a lack of will. The country is not yet ready to sacrifice more young men and women with the mindset that more of those will be returning back in body bags. With most Democrats and some Republicans in opposition to this we will see a non-binding resolution spring up to declare their opposition to this plan. We will not yet see the removal of funding, for the Democrats do not yet have enough public support to embark on such an endeavor. However, if they do, Iraq may well be another Cambodia. Most Democrats claim that in order for the Iraqis to stand up we must stand down. However, they cannot stand up until the constant threat, and devastation of the insurgency is removed. We must secure the future of Iraq for the ink that writes the future of Iraq also writes the future of the United States.

Cheers.

The Decider

Bush at joint press conference with Blair

As much as many Democrats would like to think Bush is a lame duck, he still makes all the calls regarding the war in Iraq.

I would also like to take this opportunity to refer you to a Weekly Standard article speaking to what things Bush can do so as not to be a "Lame Duck." It is in the December 11th issue.