Putting the President in His Place

[Mass]

http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4380

Putting the President in His Place

Col. Daniel Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.) | July 13, 2007

Editor: John Feffer

Foreign Policy In Focus
www.fpif.org

July 4th 2007 may turn out to be an Independence Day second only to the original one of 1776 in its importance to the nation’s history. If the first week back from its holiday recess is any indicator, Congress may now be firmly on the path of reclaiming its constitutional responsibilities – and thus asserting its independence from the imperial pretensions of the current “King George” – to shape policy and programs on defense and foreign affairs.

The Senate finally started floor debate on the 2008 Defense Authorization legislation (H.R. 1585), the bill that tells the Pentagon the categories and programs Congress intends to fund for the coming fiscal year.

Because the Senate rules allow members to offer amendments from the floor (unless the majority and minority leaders reach an agreement limiting the scope or number of amendments), the number of amendments to be offered and debated is unclear. At last count, as many as 40 amendments have either been filed with the clerk or are being considered by members. Most concern the Iraq war. Of those, most would limit troop deployments or require the president to initiate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Where proposed amendments overlap, some consolidation can be expected and will be necessary if the Senate is to wade through the stack of proposals before it breaks for the August recess.

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But in a broader sense, until the Congress moves to reclaim its status as a co-equal branch of government, Bush will continue to ignore the people and the Congress not only on the Iraq War but on other policies where he holds contrary views.
Signing Statements

This reality gives added importance to one proposed amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that does not address the Iraq war directly. Amendment 2021, co-sponsored by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and John Kerry (D-MA), takes on the president’s extensive use of “signing statements” to subvert the will of the American people, as expressed through their representatives in Washington.
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