Feingold-Reid Bill Presents Another Democratic Gut Check

by Bob Geiger

When Ned Lamont whipped Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut Senatorial primary in August and became the Democratic party's nominee for U.S. Senate, I began a campaign of contacting the offices of Democratic Senators and seeing how fast they would be willing to go on the record and support Lamont over the Bush-hugging Lieberman.

Some pledged support for Lamont quickly, while others took a while to come around to the earth-shattering notion of being a Democrat and actually supporting the Democratic nominee. And some failed the gut-check entirely and chose to support Lieberman -- who, at that point, had abandoned the Democratic party -- over Lamont, who had won the support of Connecticut's Democrats fair, square and convincingly.

This one should be easier.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), with the strong support of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), will come back from the Senate recess next week and propose legislation that will challenge any veto made by George W. Bush on the war-funding bill that's just passed both houses of Congress. The Senate and House measures include provisions calling for a complete withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by March and September of 2008, respectively, and Bush has promised to veto whatever legislation he gets that contains language about bringing the troops home.

The Feingold-Reid measure matches the bill that just passed the Senate by ordering Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 120 days of enactment but will up the ante considerably by putting Bush on notice that funding for the war will stop in less than one year.

In other words, the tough, tenacious Feingold and former-boxer Reid are looking Bush straight in the eye on his veto threat and doing the legislative equivalent of saying "go ahead, make my day."

Don't 'ch just love it!

Bush will likely find that more Republican Senators will vote with the Democrats each time this issue comes up for a vote. So, Bush may be able to have some victories, but they may be short-lived.

Man, oh, man...wouldn't you just love to be a "fly on the wall" and watch his temper tantrums as these short lived victories happen less and less often, too. Bush has been pampered and spoiled as President just like he was at Ma Bush's fat knee. It's time he faced up to the fact that he's the WORST. PRESIDENT. EVER. It's time Congress did, too.

Hmm, so if Nixon was talking to the paintings towards the end, I wonder what Bush is doing.

As for Congress, they will need to conduct investigations. Impeachment and removal from office can only happen once there is enough public support for it. (I don't know what the magic number is on public support for impeachment. but we may reach it with some more investigations and scandals.)