Check of Balances.

The Senate passed a bill on Friday afternoon that would equip President Bush with the emergency funding money our troops need to continue fighting in Iraq. The new bill proposed a timetable to start bringing troops home starting this October. The bill is expected to be vetoed by President Bush because of his stance on timetables and anything math-related.

The Pentagon has assured the Congress that it can afford to continue fighting till the end of June, hence the emergency funding bill. Pentagon officials state that a week in combat in Iraq costs the US Government 2 billion dollars a week. If signed into law, it would add funding to the 70 billion dollars already allocated to the war on terror. The new total would amount to 124 billion dollars.

The President is expected to veto the bill on Monday, a day short of his Mission Accomplished speech given off of the USS Lincoln in 2003. The irony is not lost on the political commentators who are closely following this development.

Back-up bills are beginning to take shape on the Senate floor since deputy press secretary Dana Perino has stated,"The bill is dead before arrival."

Compromise between the Republicans and Democrats have yet to fully surface although this was the first bill to give the President an exit strategy out of Iraq. Democrats hope to have a war bill signed by June 1st of this year.

We shouldn't be in this war if we're just looking for a victory. We have to keep in mind the lives of our troops, the way of life for US and Iraqi citizens, our economy, and Iraq's economy.

Hopefully President Bush and all politicians in Washington can finally take our voices into their decisions -- instead of just appeasing us with promises around election time.


Senate Passes Iraq withdrawl bill; veto threat looms[CNN]
Congress Clears Bill, veto awaited [Houston Chronicle]