Susan Davis, Abandoning the Troops, and the Inevitability of Bush

by Lucas O'Connor [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

As noted by me first here and then here last night, I'm very disappointed in Susan Davis' vote yesterday.  She has a strong record of opposition to this war, which makes this vote all the more frustrating.  I'd be much more willing to work on moving forward if it weren't for her justification of her vote:

WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Susan Davis released the following statement on her vote to continue funding current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the coming few months.

"As someone who voted against going to war and supported a timeline for bringing home the troops, there is no doubt in my mind that we must end this war.  The reality is opposing this bill would not end the war.

"Cutting off war funding today will not only impact the troops in the field, many of whom are from San Diego, but will also impact military families at home as President Bush would take funding from other sources to fund his war.

"I look forward to supporting measures that will end the war and will not put our troops at risk."

I'm sorry Rep. Davis, but I do not accept your premise.  I do not accept the notion that this bill would leave troops undersupplied because 1. they already are, 2. there's a lot of money in the Defense budget already and 3. this isn't the last bill you can send to the President.

But most of all, I don't accept the fundamental defeatism here.  Susan Davis has just said, in so many words, that no matter what Congress does, Bush cannot be stopped.  She has just conceded the complete impotence of Congress.  Well you know what?  Do your job.  The President's approval rating is reaching all-time lows, 76% of the country thinks the war is at least going "somewhat badly" and Americans keep dying faster and faster in Iraq.  Do your job.
Bush and his policies are not inevitable.  He is not an irresistable force any more than you are an immovable object (and clearly, you aren't).  If he won't sign this, then he's abandoning HIS troops (in addition to being The Decider, he's also the Commander in Chief, remember?).  If he takes the money from somewhere else, stop him.  If he tries to accuse Democrats of failing the troops, ask why his previous funding requests were too low to provide for the troops.  Ask why he doesn't want veterans to receive benefits.  Ask why he doesn't think troops should be fully combat-ready before being deployed.  Ask him how patriotic THAT sounds.  But DON'T GIVE IN.

Don't presume that you can't beat him.  The entire country wants you to beat him. They'll give you every opportunity to beat him.  Every political wind that's blowing in this country, from Left, Right and Center is desperately trying to run out the clock and escape the debacle of this administration.  We did the best we could in 2006- majorities in the House and Senate and a clear mandate for change.  We want you to get tough.  We want you to be angry.  We want you to be obstructionist.  Why? Because when you cut this President the slightest bit of slack, he takes a mile and flat out kills people with it.  Saying that Bush would just find some other way to beat you is pathetic.

You aren't in office to throw up your hands and run out the clock.  Your job is to stop the violent deaths of American soldiers.  You say you want to support a measure that "will not put our troops at risk" but lemme go ahead and ask the obvious question: In what world does a fully-funded, open-ended deployment of our troops to occupy a hostile country with substandard equipment, preparation, support, civilian leadership and veteran's services not "put our troops at risk?"  And if you think that, of ALL PEOPLE, George W. Bush is too skilled a political tactician to be overcome when everyone and their mother wants him stopped, you need a new line of work.

I don't doubt Susan Davis' desire to end the war.  Her record is strong on the issue, and has been from the beginning and I give full credit where it's due.  But if she, like apparently many other Democrats, is afraid to tangle with Bush, what more is there?  To go way, WAY back to Olbermann's ESPN days, we've got a Congress who's looked at Bush and decided that you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him.

Well I call bullshit on that.  Do your job.  Stop him.