Mark My Words - commentary on news, politics, religion, philosophy, science and social issues

In his oped carried by the Wall Street Journal, the President says:

What the Congress Can Do for America (excerpts)

...I will have the privilege of working with them for the next two years--one quarter of my presidency, plenty of time to accomplish important things for the American people.
Together, we have a chance to serve the American people by solving the complex problems that many don't expect us to tackle, let alone solve, in the partisan environment of today's Washington. To do that, however, we can't play politics as usual. Democrats will control the House and Senate, and therefore we share the responsibility for what we achieve.
In the days and weeks since the November elections, I have been encouraged by the productive meetings I've had with many of the new leaders in Congress from both parties. I am hopeful we can find common ground without compromising our principles.

Seems to me that it's easy to be encouraged when one isn't as conservative as some of us would like regarding illegal immigration and the minimum wage to name just a few items.

The outcome of the elections has changed the balance of power in Congress, yet the priorities for keeping our country safe and prosperous go beyond party labels.
Our priorities begin with defeating the terrorists who killed thousands of innocent Americans on September 11, 2001--and who are working hard to attack us again. These terrorists are part of a broader extremist movement that is now doing everything it can to defeat us in Iraq.

Unfortunately the "judgement" of Murtha, Kerry, Edwards and others tends to work very much against that.

But we can help Iraq defeat the extremists inside and outside of Iraq--and we can help provide the necessary breathing space for this young government to meet its responsibilities. If democracy fails and the extremists prevail in Iraq, America's enemies will be stronger, more lethal, and emboldened by our defeat. Leaders in both parties understand the stakes in this struggle. We now have the opportunity to build a bipartisan consensus to fight and win the war.

I question whether the leaders in both parties really do understand this, or have the balls to do what is necessary to defeat the terrorists in Iraq. There is also the matter of the very vocal element on the Democrat side that want immediate withdrawal from Iraq and/or defunding of the war effort.

Our Founders believed in the wisdom of the American people to choose their leaders and provided for the concept of divided and effective government. The majority party in Congress gets to pass the bills it wants. The minority party, especially where the margins are close, has a strong say in the form bills take. And the Constitution leaves it to the president to use his judgment whether they should be signed into law.
That gives us a clear challenge and an opportunity. If the Congress chooses to pass bills that are simply political statements, they will have chosen stalemate. If a different approach is taken, the next two years can be fruitful ones for our nation. We can show the American people that Republicans and Democrats can come together to find ways to help make America a more secure, prosperous and hopeful society. And we will show our enemies that the open debate they believe is a fatal weakness is the great strength that has allowed democracies to flourish and succeed.
To the new members of the 110th Congress, I offer my welcome--and my congratulations. The American people have entrusted us with public office at a momentous time for our nation. Let them say of these next two years: We used our time well.

A decent close except for at least one flaw. Liberals tend to view working together and bipartisanship as meaning agree completely with us. It takes a great deal of strength, political muscle and savvy to avoid this trap when even holding a slight majority. As we have seen, the GOP is in very short supply of much of that and is now not even a slight majority in Congress.

Pamela at Atlus Shrugs titles her post Bush to Congress: Chain of Command Baby

I would like to be more positive but I don't think the President has the political capital or enough in the GOP with the courage to stand up against the foolishness Pelosi and friends plan to toss around. Regarding the war on terror, perhaps those Democrats who ran in support of the war will be helpful allies. Unfortunately, the loss of the majority is not the only thing making this necessary as many Republicans are demonstrating their lack of spine lately.

While I know it's not realistic, I really do wish the President had actually said:

"Do you know what the chain of command is here? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you who's in command."

Such is life, the next two years should be quite interesting. If we and the world are lucky, political entertainment will be the highlight, rather than some great tragedy due to poor judgement and/or the lack of courage to stand and fight against the darkness threatening so many today.

---

Filed Under: Politics

Trackposted to: Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, The Random Yak, Don Surber, Stuck On Stupid, Wake Up America, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Rightwing Guy, Wake Up America, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Outside the Beltway, Faultline USA, The HILL Chronicles, stikNstein... has no mercy, Pirate's Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, Planck's Constant, Renaissance Blogger, Dumb Ox News, High Desert Wanderer, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.