by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 24, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

lasting the Democratic-led Congress, President George W. Bush lashed out, blaming lawmakers for playing politics with the firing of U.S. attorneys and restricting funding to U.S. troops. “Members of Congress now face a choice: Whether they will waste time and provoke unnecessary confrontation, or whether they will join us in working to do the peoples' business,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. Bush acts as if he still commands the same 90% approval ratings after Sept. 11. A Feb. 27 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll indicated approval of only 32%, lower than Richard Nixon during Watergate. When Bush talks of doing the “peoples' business,” he's talking about his ever-shrinking 30% base. Democrats passed Iraq war legislation, calling for an end to funding combat operations in 18 months, because it mirrors polls demanding accountability and a real exit strategy.

      Bush hasn't woken up to the reality that two-thirds of the country no longer supports his policies, both foreign and domestic. Polls reveal that most Americans don't share Bush's view that Iraq represents the central front in the war on terror. Bush insists that if the U.S. ended its combat operation prematurely, the U.S. would face more terrorism on American streets. Polls also show that the president hasn't sold Americans on Iraq's national security significance. If the House's new Iraq war spending bill passed, it would still stretch combat operations five-and-half-years to Sept. 2008. “We have important issues before us. So we need to put partisan politics aside and come together to enact important legislation for the American people,” said Bush, not accepting the most pressing issue before the country is ending the Iraq war, redeploying troops and setting new priorities.

      When Bush talks about partisan politics, he's not talking about his own agenda to democratize the Middle East. Most of Bush's own advisors no longer believe in his grand illusion of transforming the Arab world into U.S.-style democracies. Secretary of State Codoleezza Rice drew sharp criticism in Egypt, lecturing President Hosni Mubarak about non-democratic changes to the Egyptian constitution. Egypt doesn't want to face the same “democratic” problems in Iraq, Palestine and elsewhere in the Arab world, where citizens vote in Islamic extremists. Bush's partisan agenda involves finishing his presidency fighting in Iraq. He thinks it's partisan for the Congress to follow the will of the people who spoke at the midyear election Nov. 7, 2006. Bush doesn't follow polls because he has no intention of heeding popular opinion, opposed to his domestic and foreign policy.

      Lecturing the country about partisan politics won't change Bush's approval ratings or help Republicans seeking the White House in 2008. Voters grow tired of hearing they must sacrifice and belt-tighten to rebuild and police Iraq. Partisan politics are responsible for using the U.S. military to nation-build in Iraq, something Bush swore he would never do. More than $500 billion tax dollars, over 3,200 deaths and more than 25,000 serious injuries have stressed the Veterans Administration to the breaking point, causing the recent scandal involving substandard care at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Despite the recent troop surge in Baghdad, the killing field for U.S. troops continues in Iraq. Insurgents, supported by Iran, Islamic countries, and, yes, Russia, continue to adapt to new circumstances, leaving U.S. forces exposed to a virtual shooting gallery.

      Passing the $124-billion emergency spending bill 218-212, the Congress won't be able to override Bush's certain veto. Bush calls the bill partisan because he's not willing to listen to voters or polls begging him to change course. Few experts expect Iraq's insurgents to fold their tent, continuing the bloody guerilla war that costs more U.S. blood and treasure. “By choosing to make political statements and passing a bill they know will never become law, the Democrats in Congress have only delayed the delivery of the vital funds and resources our troops need,” Bush told a nationwide radio audience, ignoring the polls and midyear election that pressed Congress to take action against his policies. What the troops need is not more money but a new mission and policy that gets them out of harm's way. Most experts believe that Iraq's new government has more loyalty to insurgents than the U.S.

      Congress has very little clout other than symbolic gestures to get the president's attention. Antiwar opponents have limited options before the 2008 elections. Bush has signaled he has no intention of changing course, he's going to go down fighting. While Bush changed his generals in Iraq, he hasn't changed the inescapable reality that the U.S. can't win a protracted guerrilla war. It doesn't “dishonor the dead” or disgrace the military or country to realize the mission must change. Saddam is gone and there are no weapons of mass destruction to threaten U.S. national security. Connecting Iraq's insurgents to the same terrorists responsible for Sept. 11 or new ones planning America's next attack finds no basis in reality. Terrorists don't win when the U.S. faces reality and changes the mission. They do win when the U.S. wastes more precious lives, tax dollars and credibility.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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