Posted on 01/30/2007 8:27:22 AM PST by Sub-Driver
By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago
A Senate Republican on Tuesday directly challenged President Bush's declaration that "I am the decision-maker" on issues of war.
"I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider," Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said during a hearing on Congress' war powers amid an increasingly harsh debate over Iraq war policy. "The decider is a shared and joint responsibility," Specter said.
The question of whether to use its power over the government's purse strings to force an end to the war in Iraq, and under what conditions, is among the issues faced by the newly empowered Democratic majority in Congress, and even some of the president's political allies as well.
No one challenges the notion that Congress can stop a war by canceling its funding. In fact, Vice President Dick Cheney challenged Congress to back up its objections to Bush's plan to put 21,500 more troops in Iraq by zeroing out the war budget.
Underlying Cheney's gambit is the consensus understanding that such a drastic move is doubtful because it would be fraught with political peril.
But there are other legislative options to force the war's end, say majority Democrats and some of Bush's traditional Republican allies.
The alternatives range from capping the number of troops permitted in Iraq to cutting off funding for troop deployments beyond a certain date or setting an end date for the war.
"The Constitution makes Congress a coequal branch of government. It's time we start acting like it," said Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., who is chairing a hearing Tuesday on Congress' war powers and forwarding legislation to eventually prohibit funding for the deployment of troops to Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Should put him UNDER Ft. Leavenworth. It would be a good example to the rest of Congress.
Cut funding, if you dare, or STFU. The President is the decision maker, not you.
When did Arlen Spector become commander-in-chief? Has that dipsh*t ever even read the Constitution?
Apparently Spectre missed the whole concept of executive power.
Laurie made sure "Republican" was the third word in the article.
We all know, however, that the spectre is no Republican. He's a POS wanna-be, never-gonna-be.
If there is ANYBODY for the president to share the decision with, its the Generals in charge in Iraq.
Step up to the plate and decide then you pos.
You have to understand that specter-D (RINO) came from Philly....where the rest of the garbage comes from.....
Somebody, an idiot elitist, has forgotten who the commander in chief is.
Spector : "The decision left the top right of the President's brain, turned 45 degrees, went south through Congress where it changed direction four times, paused, then travelled upwards out of Congress into Wolf Blitzer's hair where it made a sharp right turn before finally coming to rest in JFK's lunchbox."
Remember to vote RINO so we don't have to listen to a democrat speaking the same words. LOL
I wish it was that simple. He has plenty of Republican Senatorial support from places like Arizona, Nebraska and Virginia.
But I do agree that Specter is a piece of crap.
He is the sole decider.
Specter's claim of decision-making ability is, under Scottish law, "not proven."
If all you can or will do is pass a nonbinding resolution then Congress is coequal with a Leftist city council, not the Executive Branch.
Either cut off the funds or shut your pieholes.
Mr. President I have a Mr. Pat Toomey on line 3.
You want him to leave a message, OK.
It's "I told you so"
It would appear that Arlen lost more than his hair in his last bout of illness.
Specter still thinks someone owes him something for that Single Bullet Theory.
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