House Barks Against Bush Troop Surge

The US House of Representatives has spoken. By a vote of 246-182, they have said clearly they don't agree with President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq. And this means.....well, it means they really, really don't like it. That's right. They are absolutely in the "Don't Like the President's Plan" camp. Yessirree.

And now they are walking around, patting themselves on the back for taking such a strong stand for what they see is right. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it will "signal a change of direction." Yeah, buddy. You have to love those signals!! Maybe their next vote will be a really BIG signal. Maybe next time, they'll actually send smoke signals out of the Capitol Dome. Yeah, that will get the President's attention.

The truth is that the House vote was completely NON-binding. That's right. It's basically a public relations slap at President Bush. It accomplishes nothing in terms of actually STOPPING the troop surge. All it does is say "We don't like it." Excuse me, but we don't elect Members of Congress to make statements and pass resolutions. I can issue resolutions all I want to. And so can you. All a resolution amounts to is blowing smoke. I don't know about you, but I'm fully capable of blowing smoke. I've done it many times. I can't recall it doing much good, except perhaps it made me FEEL good. At least for a few minutes.

Therein lies the problem. Blowing smoke...venting....letting off steam...that's what we're talking about here. That's what the US House of Representatives did. And what GOOD will come of it? In my experience, venting or blowing off steam only feels good for a few minutes, but sometimes it can really hurt others around you. My concern is that those hurt by this congressional venting will be our men and women in harm's way.

Let's think about what has happened here. Now, the entire world knows that the US House of Representatives is publicly opposed to a plan that's been recommended by our American military commanders and approved by our Commander-in-Chief. The entire world knows it, including our American soldiers who will be carrying out this plan -- the plan that's just been repudiated by their own Congress. And, yup, our enemies know it. So, now, our enemies are thinking: "All we have to do is wait this one out. Let's just hang on. If we can beat this latest plan by the US military, then the folks at home will force a US pullout." We've telegraphed our weak resolve (make that "NO resolve") to the rest of the world.

If the US House of Representatives wants to demonstrate its lack of support for the President, then it should have the GUTS to do it in some kind of binding way that stops the plan from happening. Now, we've got men and women who will be walking into harm's way, conducting a plan that the Congress has repudiated and, perhaps, doomed to failure. Lives are at stake here, but all the US House wants to do is thump its chest and make itself feel good by its own rhetoric.

In all my life, this is the one of the few times I've been ashamed of my own Congress. Nothing has been accomplished by this, except a boost to our enemies and a below-the-belt blow to the morale of our own troops.

Nicely done, Congress. Nicely done.