Following up on the last post, one of the benefits of today’s presidential press conference was it offered an opportunity to hear Bush’s pitch. The [tag]House[/tag] and [tag]Senate[/tag] have both approved measures that fund the war that include [tag]withdrawal[/tag] [tag]timeline[/tag]s, and we know it’s going to draw a [tag]veto[/tag]. Today, the [tag]president[/tag] laid his cards on the table.
“In a time of war, it’s irresponsible for the Democrat leadership — Democratic leadership in Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds. The bottom line is this: Congress’s failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines. And others could see their loved ones headed back to the war sooner than they need to. That is unacceptable to me, and I believe it is unacceptable to the American people.
“Members of Congress say they support the troops. Now they need to show that support in deed, as well as in word. Members of Congress are entitled to their views and should express them. Yet debating these differences should not come at the expense of funding our troops.
“Congress’s most basic responsibility is to give our troops the equipment and training they need to fight our enemies and protect our nation. They’re now failing in that responsibility, and if they do not change course in the coming weeks, the price of that failure will be paid by our troops and their loved ones.”
If someone who hasn’t paid any attention at all were listening to this, they’d assume [tag]Congress[/tag] had cut funding for the military, delayed the appropriations process, and planned to deny resources to the troops. All of this — literally, every word — is complete nonsense. Every single point the president made in those three paragraphs is wrong or misleading.
The question then becomes how best for [tag]Democrats[/tag] to respond. In a pleasant surprise, I think they’ve actually learned a few things about message development.
“Democrats will send President [tag]Bush[/tag] a bill that gives our troops the resources they need and a strategy in Iraq worthy of their sacrifices,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. “If the President vetoes this bill he will have delayed funding for troops and kept in place his strategy for failure.”
Thank you, Sen. Reid. That’s the right answer.
This morning, Bush tried aggressively to frame the debate — the troops need resources, the White House doesn’t like the way Congress would provide those resources, so therefore Congress needs to change. Why? Because the president says so.
That might even work if Bush were arguing from a position of strength, or if reality were on his side, but since neither is the case, Congress has zero incentive to go along with his nonsense.
Let’s put it another way. Here’s Bush’s approach to the current funding showdown:
1. Fully fund the troops.
2. Embrace a plan with toothless, unenforced benchmarks.
3. The [tag]war[/tag] in [tag]Iraq[/tag] must remain an open-ended commitment, indefinitely.
4. Withdrawal would be a disaster.
Here’s the Democratic approach:
1. Fully fund the troops.
2. Embrace a plan with enforced benchmarks.
3. The war in Iraq must not be open-ended.
4. The status quo is a disaster; phased withdrawal offers hope.
All the White House has left is banging on the table. Literally, that’s it. Cheney questions Dems’ patriotism, Bush pretends Congress isn’t funding the troops, and congressional Republicans hide, hoping no one asks them any questions.
The reality is, this is an easy one for the Dems. The public already agrees with them. Those three paragraphs I quoted from Bush’s press conference? Dems can take them and read them back, almost word for word, demanding the president sign the spending bill and get the troops the resources they need.
This morning was all about Bush trying to go on the offensive. It’s about shifting blame and pretending his weaknesses are strengths. Given his position, that’s crazy. Dems need to go on the offensive because they’re holding all the cards. Get on TV, hold press conferences, issue press releases, call reporters, and scream from the hilltops: “Bush is vetoing funding our troops, because he wants to stay in Iraq forever.”
The White House is convinced the public will stand behind him. Note to Dems: It’s time to show the president how wrong he is.