A lot of the supposedly-smart types in the media are buzzing today that Democrats have painted themselves into a corner.
Bush is going to veto the Iraq bill, he's going to demand full funding with no conditions, a complete blank check, but the Democrats will knuckle under.
Here's a very simple way they can win.
That is, pass a "clean" funding bill, just what the President wants, but with only enough money, and with funding authority, through September 30, 2007. That's the first deadline mentioned in thei original withdrawal plan put forward by the House, which envisioned all troops being out by September 30, 2008.
Since it's a clean bill without conditions Bush has to sign it. Vetoing
it, demanding that the bill be written precisely as he demands, is just
not going to work when on every vote more and more Republicans switch
sides to the Democrats.
And just to emphasize the point there is ample justification in the US Attorneys affair to mention the I word -- impeachment. High crimes and misdeameanors doesn't just mean crimes defined in the statute books. It is designed for times when the President ignores all other branches of government, when he tries to politicize the administration of justice or the way the government spends its money. It's designed for times like this. It's not designed for blow jobs.
The longer the President sticks his middle finger at the country, the more the country rejects him, the more pressure Republicans are put under, the faster the 22 who are up for Senate re-election next year begin to recognize that they have to take the I word seriously -- for their own protection. And 22 plus 50 (Lieberman doesn't count) adds up to 72, more than enough to convict both Bush and Cheney, leaving Nancy Pelosi as President through 2009.
Don't think it can happen? You've been in Washington too long. Don't believe the spin of anyone who has been in Washington too long. If push comes to shove, the framers decided the legislative branch can push harder. All it takes is the will. Which Bush is giving them.
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