The Democratic Congress is in the throes of finishing up its “100-hour” legislation, which ended up taking almost two weeks, or 336 hours. It would seem that the Democrats, despite taking an entire day off for the BCS Championship Bowl, are finally in a position to take a stand against the Bush administration.
And so, one would expect that in the midst of Bush’s increase of more than 20,000 troops to Iraq, the Democrats would be on fire with opposition.
Senators, such as Joe Biden, D-Del., have made statements opposing this move, calling it a “losing strategy” and “the worst foreign policy blunder since Vietnam.”
But it’s not enough.
Our country needs more than the leadership in the House and Senate standing idly by, wagging a finger at Bush as he continues to spiral America down with this war. We need leadership that can stand up and propose a viable solution to this problem.
One has to ask what the Democrats are afraid of.
Despite having all the chances in the world to make a difference, the Democrat’s first few weeks as the majority of the House and Senate could be described as mediocre.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., seemed sincere in her promise to advance aggressive legislation that failed to get done under the Republicans. And, in some ways, she has.
In “100-hours,” or two weeks, the majority Democratic House passed bills that will put some cramps in the Bush administration’s style, such as capping spending that will add to the already oversized deficit. They’ve also voted in the House to raise minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, cut the interest rate on college student loans and are attempting to get federal funding for embryonic stem cell research past the president. The final bill the House will attempt to pass is a crackdown on big oil companies with higher taxes and fees that would amount to $15 billion.
Already it’s been proven that mediocrity is not going to stop Bush as he prepares to deploy more troops to Iraq. Where is the leadership in this country?
Features editor Amber Parcher for the editorial board.
