Sound Bites

Congress left for its Turkey Day break without passing the appropriations bills needed to continue funding government programs, including the war effort.

So, who does the LAT get to provide soundbites? Two of the few GOP Senators who crossed the line to vote with Democrats on the defeat and retreat bills that provide funding with timelines and deadlines; Sen. Gordon Smith and Sen. Olympia Snowe.

And Republicans in the narrowly divided chamber fell short of a majority for their alternative proposal to send President Bush $70 billion without restrictions.

"We're in the middle of a war, and playing political games," said Oregon Sen. Gordon H. Smith, one of the few Republicans who has consistently backed Democratic withdrawal legislation. "It's all politics, all the time in this 110th Congress."

Smith, like several senators, expressed disappointment with party leaders, blaming them for being unwilling to work out compromises on the war.

Maine Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, another Republican who has backed withdrawal plans, also blasted Senate leaders. "By leaving town as the supplemental funding hangs in the balance, Congress is doing a disservice to the American people by ignoring its responsibilities," she said.

Those two are right about one thing - Congress is playing politics with the war appropriations. However, they're both on the wrong side of the issue - voting for a clean bill would be the fiscally and more importantly, militarily thing to do. Instead, they're pushing timelines and deadlines for military withdrawal, which is grossly irresponsible.

By further politicizing the strategic and tactical objectives of the war through the appropriations process, Congress is overstepping its bounds. Congress is not, and cannot be a coequal to the Commander in Chief in warmaking. The Constitution is quite clear on this. Only the Executive decides war strategy. Democrats can't get it out of their head that they cannot dictate war policy from the House or Senate. Democrats can't cut funding to the war and they don't have the numbers to get defeat and retreat passed, so they're doing everything imaginable to stymie the war effort, including passing flawed bills laden with pork and refusing to accept a bill with no timetables or restrictions on how the military should fight to win the war.

Democrats have gone 0 for 41 now in trying to push timelines, cut war funding, or otherwise thwart the war effort. They're going to continue to lose these political battles, all while handing the enemies of the US aid and comfort knowing that if the enemies simply hang on and hold out despite the fearsome pounding they're taking around the world, they can still succeed. The Democrats are showing that they cannot be trusted with national defense in the slightest.