It’s a fine mess the Democrats got themselves into now. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi summed it up, “the president refuses to listen to the American people who want this war to end.” Her comment came on the heels of the president’s latest threat to veto any more appropriations bills that attempt to wind down the war by withdrawing troops.

The president will no doubt reject the latest bill that passed Congress yesterday which funds the war for the next few months, but conditions future funding on a "progress report." And he would have likewise rejected the bill sponsored by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) that would have mandated withdrawal of the troops within 90 days. That bill failed to pass Congress yesterday, but did get 171 votes -- surprisingly better than expected.

"The president waves his veto pen at any proposal that does not give him a blank check for a war without end in Iraq," Pelosi told the Brisbane Times.

The Democrats don’t have the votes to overturn a veto. And even if he doesn't use the veto, George Bush could simply attach a “signing statement” to the bill, exempting himself from having to obey it. Bush has done it with over 700 laws already. As the commander-in-chief of the military, Bush could very well do what he pleases.

The Bush Administration is not going to listen to anyone. Not even the American people, who have finally turned against the war. Opposition to the war is credited with giving the Democrats their victories in the last election. In a sense, the Democrats have no choice but to try and wind it down, as McGovern attempted to do.

The problem is -- the country is being run by a president who is beyond being reasoned with. But the Democrats share a lot of the blame for the monster in the White House. They helped create him.

For years, the Democrats refused to listen to the anti-war movement which brought millions out into the streets to protest both wars (Afghanistan and Iraq), even before they began. The Democrats failed to expose the lie of “weapons of mass destruction.” They voted to give Bush the powers to wage war. Over and over again, they approved the funding for both wars.

The only way that Pelosi and company can deal with George Bush right now is to play hard ball: Revoke his war powers and then start impeachment proceedings. The man is in contempt of the American people. He lied about the reason for going to war, he authorized spying on ordinary citizens, he pushed through violations of our civil rights (ie., the Patriot Act and the elimination of habeas corpus) and now he continues to defy the will of the majority of Americans who just want an end to the damn war.

Even though the Democrats probably don’t have the votes to strip him of his war powers or impeach him, they can send a message to the world that they finally have the cojones to stand up to the monster they helped spawn.


Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a radical, southern Italian, working-class atheist queer performer and writer whose work can be seen at www.avicollimecca.com.