That Lame Duck Feeling?

Not bad for a lame duck huh?

The House on Wednesday approved a sweeping $696 billion military policy measure after revising a single provision in the 1,300-page bill that had prompted a surprise veto by President Bush.

Mr. Bush had strongly supported the original bill, which included pay raises for the military and was approved by wide margins in both the House and the Senate. But he vetoed it last month after the Iraqi government raised objections to a provision allowing American victims of state-sponsored terrorism under Saddam Hussein to sue and to collect judgments by seizing foreign assets in the United States.

The Iraqis had threatened to withdraw $25 billion from American banks if the president signed the measure.

The revised bill, approved by the House 369 to 46, grants the president wide authority to waive any provision of the section on lawsuits by terrorism victims as it relates to cases involving Iraq. But it also urges the administration to negotiate with Iraq “to ensure compensation for any meritorious claims based on terrorist acts committed by the Saddam Hussein regime.”

I’m telling ya, the Democrats constantly back down on these things and look even more foolish then normal. Why? Because they always choose the wrong fight. No way they can convince people that they didn’t know this provision they slipped into the bill was not going to raise some hackles. They tried to slip it through and got called on it.

Whether if its on Iraq and a withdrawal, or whether to fund the troops, or whatever. They think they can score political points because they have a slight majority in Congress but in the end they just look incompetent.

UPDATE

And even more Bush – “what am I supposed to do, get down in the fetal position because of your polls?”

Tags: Democrats, iraqi government, iraqis, lame duck, lawsuits, military policy, president bush, saddam hussein, senate, state sponsored terrorism, veto