Democrats don't have the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto in either chamber. So what's the point of all this?
There's an interesting exchange taking place between Congressional Democrats and President Bush over funding for the Iraq war.
The House passed a resolution last week by a 218-212 margin setting a date for pulling troops out of Iraq. Speaker Nancy Pelosi couldn't persuade all 233 Democrats in the House to support the withdrawal plan, but that hasn't stopped her from ratchetting up the rhetoric.
When President Bush stated emphatically Wednesday that Congress must replenishment $90 billion in war funding with no strings attached, Pelosi urged him to "Calm down with the threats. There's a new Congress in town."
Sounds like Speaker Pelosi has been watching too many movies abourd her taxpayer-funded jumbo jet.
Pretty bold talk from somebody who doesn't have the votes to override a presidential veto.
Senate Democrats appear to have the same problem. The Senate's surrender resolution was approved by a 51-47 vote, mostly along party lines.
Forty-eight Democrats and "independent" Bernard Sanders of Vermont were joined by two Republicans, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon, in voting for the measure. Opposed were 46 Republicans and Connecticut independent Joseph Lieberman. Two senators, Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., missed the vote.
Democrats don't have the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto in either chamber. So what's the point of all this?
Democrats are politicking, playing to their far left base, and providing fodder for their allies in the liberal media.
While Democrats control the purse strings, Bush has the upper hand in the Iraq war debate.
"The clock is ticking for our troops in the field," the president said. "If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible."
Over in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid is also spinning the "cut-and-run" measure he wants Democrats to support.
"Why doesn't (Bush) get real with what's going on with the world?" Reid said. "We're not holding up funding in Iraq and he knows that. Why doesn't he deal with the real issues facing the American people?"
Someone should remind Reid that Democrats hold a tenuous 51-49 majority and one of those Democrats is Sen. Joe Leiberman, who has shown a willingness to put partisan bickering aside and vote for what's best for his country.
Too bad the same can't be said of Pelosi and Reid.
Tony Phyrillas is a leading conservative political columnist and blogger based in Pennsylvania. He is a veteran journalist with 25 years experience as a reporter, editor and columnist for several newspapers. Phyrillas received recognition for column writing in 2010 from the Associated Press Managing Editors, in 2007 from Suburban Newspapers of America and in 2006 from the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter. A graduate of Penn State University, Phyrillas is the city editor and political columnist for The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa. In addition to The Mercury website (www.pottsmerc.com), his columns are featured on more than a dozen political websites and blogs. Phyrillas is a frequent guest (and occasional host) on talk radio and has been a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" public affairs TV program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Phyrillas was named one of the '10 Leading Greek-American Bloggers in the World' in 2007 by Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine. BlogNetNews.com ranked Phyrillas the Most Influential Political Blogger in Pennsylvania for three consecutive years (2007-2010). You can follow Phyrillas on Twitter @TonyPhyrillas
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