20070502 My view of the Iraq Supplemental and the Presidential Veto

My view of the Iraq Supplemental and the Presidential Veto

May 2^nd, 2007

My view of the Iraq Supplemental and the Presidential Veto can be found in two Tentacle columns:

Dems declare war on Mormon Crickets by Kevin E. Dayhoff April 4, 2007

One Who Listens by Kevin E. Dayhoff April 18, 2007

Demonstrators recently gathered at Congressman Roscoe Bartlett's Frederick office to theatrically illustrate their unhappiness over his vote on the emergency Iraq and Afghanistan supplemental funding legislation.

I’ll deal more with One Who Listens in another post another time…

For more history of the use of the presidential veto power see: “20070502 Presidential Vetoes from 1789 to present.”

For more information on the presidential veto of the Iraq Supplemental funding bill see: 20070502 Wielding the presidential veto by Laura Smith-Spark BBC News

Read the president’s reasons for vetoing the bill here: 20070502 President Bush’s talking points on veto of the Iraq Supplemental

Also – be sure to review again: 20070421 Dems exit stage left

Meanwhile in Dems declare war on Mormon Crickets I wrote:

Dems declare war on Mormon Crickets by Kevin E. Dayhoff April 4, 2007

As a result of the Democrats' quick action in Congress in the last few weeks, Americans may soon rest easy in the knowledge that we will be saved from the true terrorists in our world today - Mormon crickets.

I have certainly slept easier with this knowledge, and one can only be sure that you are comforted also.

Meanwhile, in a relatively mundane matter which certainly pales in comparison, presidents have used the veto pen 2,551 times since 1789 and many are looking forward to the 2,552nd as soon as the Iraq war supplemental spending bill hits the desk of President George W. Bush.

The first exercise of the executive veto power took place on April 5, 1792, when President George Washington vetoed legislation which would have changed the manner in which seats in the House of Representatives were calculated.

Fast-forwarding to current events, the Senate passed its version of the emergency Iraq supplemental funding bill 51 - 47 on March 29, following the House passage on March 23 by a vote of 218-212. Both bills included language which sets timetables for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

Both measures are offensive on several fronts. One, setting a date-certain timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq sends a signal to our enemies that we are about to surrender. Such a reckless declaration endangers our troops, demoralizes our men and women in uniform, and emboldens our enemies.

Read the rest of the column here: Dems declare war on Mormon Crickets

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