Bush & Congress

I watched the Bush press conference this morning, and was particularly struck by his repeated statements that it was the job of Congress to"fund" the war (but to have no input into how the war was waged).

That the assertion passed unchallenged from the media probably isn't surprising--few people any longer defend the abstract powers of Congress. But it was a chilling interpretation of constitutional theory, well beyond anything offered even by LBJ (who conceded Congress had the right to repeal the Tonkin Gulf Resolution) or Richard Nixon (who conceded that Congress could defund the Vietnam War). The tenor of Bush's remarks suggested that defunding wasn't an option, and that amendments to appropriations bills likewise were unacceptable.

Bush's assertion comes a day after this gripping exchange between Sara Thomas and Pat Leahy.