Is It Micromanagement or Congressional Control?

02/25/2007

Paul Munnis


I can forgive Congress if their response to a mismanaged war is to take over the management responsibility and to micro-manage their investments. The “Present Occupant,” as Garrison Keeler is wont to call Mr. Bush, isn’t doing too hot of a job and he could use some help. I don’t think that he can afford to reject the help he is being offered.

As Congress performs their oversight and sees how fouled up everything is and listens to the American people and looks at the lack of war progress, then I can forgive them for wanting results and taking on the responsibility to get it -- where I come from that’s called “leadership.”

Of course Dick Chaney can’t sympathize with that but then he has been and still is a major part of the problem and not any part of the solution.

What is it that is so terrible that Congress wants and that so angers the Bushies?

First, Democrats do not want any trooper going into combat who has not been trained. Is that wrong? I don’t think so -- I think its dead-on correct.

Democrats do not want troops going to Iraq who are not properly equipped. Does anyone want that to be the case except for the Bushies? I think Democrats have that one right.

Democrats want to put a cap on the number of troops that can be committed to Iraq. That seems right to me. We have to preserve our Army and not let one war theater chew it up.

Democrats want a timetable or at least a set of checkpoints to complete the Iraqi mission. What’s wrong with that?

Democrats want our troops to have proper R & R time (Rest and Recreation) away from the Iraqi War. America has always supplied that to troops at war.

Then the nasty ol’ Liberals want the Bush Administration to talk with the Iraqi neighbors and communicate that they keep on their side of their border and not feed insurgents or military weapons into Iraq. Seems worth a try to me.

Nancy Pelosi wouldn’t mind if Dick Chaney stopped calling her an enemy collaborator. I would like that too.

Taken individually the Democratic demands are rational demands.

Taken collectively they are called micro-management by the GOP who seek to keep the Iraq War unsupervised and not be held accountable.

Congress has the responsibility for Federal spending and I can’t find a thing wrong with them wanting to attach conditions to spending dollars. It’s about time that somebody did so.

We have been pouring resources to train an Iraqi Army for almost two years now and elements should be coming on line by now. They can work to defend their nation from agressors domestic and foreign. If there is going to be an Iraq in the future it is essential that the Iraqi Army start to perform as loyal soldiers.

To Rep. Jack Murtha I say: “Carry on…”

To Harry Reid I say let the House get its job done and then get an up or down vote on the Military Appropriation Bills in the Senate with the House conditions attached and no amendments permitted.

If the GOP or the President wants to halt funding for our troops then let them do so by voting against or vetoing the Military Appropriations Bills containing both funding and the conditions for spending the money.