Bush's "invitation" to Dems a slap in the face

This is footage of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, responding to President Bush's churlish offer for Democrats to come to the White House to "negotiate" on the war funding bill. Reid's right - the president's "olive branch" to Congressional Democratic leadership is little more than another clumsy attempt to bully them.

I'm very happy that Democrats quickly responded with "thanks, but no thanks." It's clear to me that Democrats are willing to at least talk to the president and have a real dialogue; but President Bush is not.

This marks the first time in Bush's presidency that he cannot simply get what he wants by making a few calls up to Capitol Hill. Democrats are in charge now.

We'll see how this plays out, but here's my prediction: Bush would be wise to not bash Democrats too hard right now, because no matter who "wins" in this battle over the emergency supplemental bill, the troops are going to have begin coming home before the end of his presidency, because, let me shout it from the mountaintops -- there is no military victory possible in Iraq.

It stuns me that Republicans are in so much denial about that. Yesterday was just further evidence of the obvious - our many enemies in Iraq can strike at Americans and "friendlies" alike at will. If a suicide bomber can blow up the cafeteria in the Iraq Parliamentary building, in the heart of the Green Zone, they can strike anywhere.

One more thought on the funding bill - Bush and Congressional Republicans are taking a two-pronged approach in the PR effort to get their way.

First, they like to cry about the "pork" in the bill. I don't like extra spending any more than the next taxpayer. I'm sick to death of wasteful spending, and this bill is no exception. But, in that $20 billion number that Bush and Republicans like to throw around, there are some legitimate items that are more than worthy of funding: Veterans' benefits, which this administration has seen fit to give the shaft to since this war began and even prior to that; drought relief for Americas' farmers; and Hurricane Katrina relief.

Oh yea, remember New Orleans? Too many people in this administration don't, and it absolutely sickens me.

So, the "pork" argument is getting Bush nowhere. We can all read, Mr. President, despite your No Child Left Behind Act, but that's a topic for another time. Simply jumping up and down and crying "$20 billion in pork" isn't going to win you the day.

What's more, if Democrats took out every dollar of pork in this bill, Bush wouldn't sign it anyway, because it contains provisions for bringing our troops home.

I can't say it often enough - I'm sick to death of Republicans wanting an open-ended war. All we hear is "give General Petraeus and his plan time to work."

Mr. President, you've had four years for your various plans to work. All have been a miserable failures. Why should we believe you now, when you imply that this plan will somehow be the panacea for what ails Iraq?

The general feeling seems to be, "give us another couple of hundred billion," and by extension, another few thousand troops' lives. We can afford neither.

It's my sincere hope that Democrats don't cave on their demands for an end to this war. If they do, they'll do it at their political peril. Bush has already done years, if not decades, worth of damage to our foreign policy, military and economy, not to mention the thousands of lives that are forever changed or lost from our military casualties.

I really wonder how Bush sleeps at night.