"Promises Kept" and California's Road Ahead to a Democratic President

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Rumble
President
Northeast Democratic Club of Los Angeles

On January 4, 2007, Democrats took over control of the Congress of the United States. They elected Nevada Senator Harry Reid to be Senate Majority Leader. They chose Nancy Pelosi, of San Francisco, to serve as Speaker of the House. The choice of Pelosi made history. She became the first woman, the first Californian, and the first American of Italian descent to serve as Speaker. Northeast Democrats remember with pride the festive, giddy scene on the floor of the House…Mrs. Pelosi with gavel held momentarily upward, her declaration opening the House floor to children for one day, the parade of Pelosi children and grandchildren across the Speaker’s dais. Pelosi’s opening speech articulated an ambitious Democratic agenda…a change of course in Iraq, a reform of ethics rules, and increased economic opportunity for middle-class Americans.

On August 6, the House of Representatives recessed for its annual summer break. Journalists immediately began analyzing the legislative accomplishments of the Democratic majority. Margaret Talev, of the McClatchy Newspapers Washington Bureau, wrote a typical analysis- “Democrats promised voters a lot in exchange for winning back the majority in Congress this year: a change of course in Iraq, a return to old-school bipartisanship, and a broad domestic agenda. Seven months later…the results are mixed.” Talev’s article misleads the American public.

Here’s how it does so.

The United States Constitution names the President as Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s military. It grants the Congress the power to declare wars. President George Bush never requested a declaration of war from the Congress. Therefore, Congress’ ability to rein in Bush’s deployment of US troops to Iraq is limited. Furthermore, it is not true, as Talev and other journalists imply, that Democrats promised an end to the Iraq War. During the 2006 campaign, what Democrats actually promised was a program of legislative initiatives which would lead in the direction of winding down the war.

We have kept our promise. In April, the Congress passed the Iraq Accountability Act which would have “stepped-down” the US military presence in Iraq. On May 2, President Bush vetoed it. On July 12, the House passed the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act. On July 25, it passed the Banning Permanent US Bases in Iraq Bill. As of the August recess, House Republicans had been successful in blocking enactment of both measures.