"I like peanuts as much as the next guy,'' President Bush said today, "but I believe the security of our troops should come before the security of our peanut crop.''But it's the timelines, more than the peanut cash, which the Democratic Party wants to talk about. Retired Lt. Col. Andrew Horne, "a loyal Marine'' and Iraq and Gulf War veteran, delivers the party's response to the president with a message that: "These bills both demand something that previous Congresses did not – accountability from the administration. Both bills demand that the president continue to verify that we are moving Iraq towards stability, and that we are on track to disengage our combat troops from the Iraqi Civil War by 2008.''
The peanut money really is peanuts, however, compared to the spending that Bush is criticizing in proposed new federal budgets that the House and Senate also have advanced for 2008. Their $3-trillion-plus spending plans for next year include more than what the president has sought, he said - $145 billion more in the Senate plan, $213 billion more in the House plan. And that, Bush warns, means raising taxes.
Lt. Col. Andrew Horne's response to the Presidents weekly radio address. He was given the opportunity to speak for the Democratic Party:"Good Morning.
"I’m Andrew Horne, coming to you from Louisville, Ky. I served in the United States Marine Corps for 27 years, including time in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and then again in 2004 and 2005 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am proud of my service, and very proud of those men and women currently in harm’s way who are doing their best in a terribly difficult situation.
"When I deployed to Iraq, I believed what the President and his advisors said about the necessity of the war. I believed that the decision-makers in Washington would make sure we had everything we needed to get the job done, and we wouldn’t be there any longer than we absolutely had to. What I saw there changed my mind.
"I saw troops riding in Humvees without the proper armor and units dangerously undermanned for the mission they were asked to accomplish. Most importantly, I saw that while we won every battle, there was little good we could do militarily unless the Iraqis took responsibility for resolving their political differences. Yet no one in Washington offered benchmarks for success that would motivate the Iraqis to resolve their differences and lead us home.
"In short, the Commander-in-Chief has failed to properly lead the troops, and previous Congresses didn’t ask the tough questions, or demand accountability. The result is the mess we are in today.
"This week, the majority in Congress has taken the lead in providing for our troops. Supplemental spending bills passed by the House and Senate provide a much-needed change in the President’s Iraq policy. This legislation also provides billions for our troops, giving them the proper protection and training they need to survive in Iraq, as well as funds to fix Walter Reed, provide health care to our troops and veterans, and research and heal traumatic brain injuries that many troops suffered.
"Some of the top generals who served this nation with honor have endorsed what the House and Senate passed. The bills closely mirror what was proposed by the non-partisan Iraq Study Group that was appointed by President Bush. I know my fellow troops are eager to get what the bills provide.
"At the same time, these bills both demand something that previous Congresses did not – accountability from the administration. Both bills demand that the President continue to verify that we are moving Iraq towards stability, and that we are on track to disengage our combat troops from the Iraqi Civil War by 2008.
"Accountability is something this administration has demanded of everyone else. Go to the website of the White House, and put in a search for the word “accountability.” What comes up is a list of nearly 2,000 pages on the site that mention the word.
"Right there in the President’s first major policy proposal, the first bullet point in the brief on the No Child Left Behind Act reads: “Increase Accountability for Student Performance: States, districts and schools that improve achievement will be rewarded. Failure will be sanctioned.”"It's ironic that an administration that has touted its commitment to tying accountability to funding for things like schools or social programs is so opposed to any performance evaluation itself, especially with American lives on the line.
"Both Houses of Congress have done their jobs and will soon finish a bill that will provide for the troops. When they’re done, the only person who could keep funds from reaching troops would be the President. If the President vetoes this bill because he doesn’t want to formally demonstrate progress in Iraq, never in the history of war would there be a more blatant example of a Commander-in-Chief undermining the troops. There is absolutely no excuse for the President to withhold funding for the troops, and if he does exercise a veto, Congress must side with the troops and override it.
"As a loyal Marine who loves my country and my fellow troops and veterans, I ask you, Mr. President, please do not withhold funding from our troops because you are afraid to change course and show progress in Iraq.
"Thank you, and good afternoon.''
Chicago Tribune
