The GOP has shown that they are willing to absolve themselves of their Congressional responsibility, both as the majority party and now as the minority party, on every single issue of substance to the American people. Oversight investigations are just skimming the surface of GOP negligence over the past twelve years. Now, with the debate over the Iraq Supplemental bill all but finished as the bill moves out of Conference, we see just how much, or how little Congressional Republicans will do for their constituents.
"We will defer to the President in this matter... ." This is such a fitting paraphrase of the Congressional Republican policy over the past six years. I would respectfully suggest that this approach to Congressional governing be thrown back in their smug faces. A case in point from this article describing Cheney and his meltdown over Senator Reid's comments:
New York Times
Despite their opposition to the bill, Congressional Republicans chose not to challenge the timeline in the legislation, saying they preferred to get the veto showdown over with so that Congress can quickly focus on drafting a replacement measure that would deliver the money sought for the Pentagon and be acceptable to the White House.
There's a part of me that is happy that this negotiated conference bill will pass both chambers of Congress on the way to President Bush's veto pen. However, there is another part of me that is appalled at how Republicans aren't even putting up a fight. They could be trying to derail the bill, put their own input into a negotiated compromise, or even offer an option of their own on supplemental funding. But, as the quote from the article above describes, the GOP is just willing to let Bush do the dirty work.
Congressional Republicans are more than willing to renounce their Congressional duty to let the President do what he wishes. Shouldn't this inactivity be something we should highlight in the upcoming 2008 Elections? Really, do constituents of these Representatives and Senators want their elected officials to just take a pass on this bill... and such an important bill it is.
Shouldn't the lack of a challenge from Congressional Republicans be thrown back in their faces with such stinging comments as:
1) You had one more chance to amend the Conference version of the bill yet you failed your constituents in not even putting up a fight
2) Instead of working with Congressional Democrats on a bipartisan conference bill for the Supplemental funding measure, Congressional Republicans have done what they had for the past six years... defer to this President and his misguided Iraq policy
I'm sure we can all think of a few other statements that will have the same effect... to empower our Presidential, Congressional, and state candidates in the election to come.