[NYTr] Bush and the Congress - RHC Editorial

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Radio Havana Cuba - Nov 1, 2007
http://www.radiohc.cu/ingles/portada.htm

	 
Bush and the Congress

Since the Democrats assumed control of Congress in the US after the
legislative elections last November, experts forecast that the
coexistence of the executive and legislative powers wouldn't be easy.
In addition, relations between both parties are not getting along well,
and in the last weeks the tone of clashes has been turning up.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and funding for the children's health
care project are some of the topics keeping both sides in conflict. The
president described the Congress's work as dreadful, which has fanned
the flames.

According to the president, the legislative period has been the worst
over the past 20 years and he criticised Congress delegates for failing
to send him a project proposal as required by the republican
administration. Bush is backing a large increase in the defense budget,
which would increase spending on the current administration's military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the so-called war on terrorism
to over 600 billion dollars, which is more than was spent on the war in
Vietnam.

It is predicted that almost one fourth of the 2 900 billion dollar
budget for 2008 will be destined for defence, in particular for the war
in Iraq. The amount will be around 700 billion dollars.

Another issue on which the president keeps clashing with Congress is
the Health Care Project for children from low-income families. While
the legislative democrats and some republicans are striving to get an
increase of 35 million dollars for the next 5 years of the budget of
the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the current occupant of
the White House threatens to veto the project again and accuses
opposition legislators of wasting taxpayers' money.

The Democrat leader, Stency Hoyer, said the president was the greatest
obstacle to passing a bill to increase funds for the program, that
would benefit another 4 million children. The leader also accused the
head of state of breaking the promise he made during his campaign in
2004 to raise funding for the program in his second term.

To these conflicts has added up another one provoked by the naming of
Michael Mukasey as Attorney General. Although analysts and parts of the
press did not foresee great objection to the announcement, questions
around the judge's statements have increased. He has said that the
Executive has the right to act beyond the law when national security is
at risk.

The conflict between Bush and the Congress is intensifying and there
does not seem to be an end. There are still some months of difficult
coexistence ahead, in which the democrats will try to gain favour in
the run up to to the 2008 elections.

But the fact remains that the president has not yet been forced to
withdraw his troops from Iraq, a key issue over which the US public has
lost a great deal of confidence in Congress.