Posted on 10/30/2007 5:43:37 PM PDT by Kaslin
This morning President Bush urged Congress to pass the Appropriations bills Also, this President Bush met with President Museveni of Uganda in the Oval Office President Bush also nominated Dr. James Peake as Secretary of Veterans Affairs U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (R) welcomed Italy's Defense Minister Arturo Parisi to the Pentagon for a meeting in Arlington, Virginia
Enoy your visit to Sanity Island
Quote of the day
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. I just had a very constructive and important meeting with the leadership and the Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. And I want to thank you all for coming down, and thank you for your leadership.
Congress is not getting its work done. We're near the end of the year, and there really isn't much to show for it. The House of Representatives has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations, and the Senate has wasted valuable time on an endless series of failed votes to pull our troops out of Iraq. And yet there's important work to be done on behalf of the American people.
They have not been able to send a single annual appropriations bill to my desk, and that's the worst record for a Congress in 20 years. One of the important responsibilities of the Congress is to pass appropriations bills. And yet the leadership that's on the Hill now cannot get that job done.
They've also passed an endless series of tax increases. You know, they proposed tax increases in the farm bill, the energy bill, the small business bill, and of course, the SCHIP bill. They haven't seen a bill they could not solve without shoving a tax hike into it. In other words, they believe in raising taxes, and we don't.
Spending is skyrocketing under their leadership -- at least proposed spending is skyrocketing under their leadership. After all, they're trying to spend an additional $205 billion over the next five years. Some have said, well, that doesn't matter much; it's not that much money. Well, $205 billion over the next five years in the real world amounts to this: $4.7 million per hour, every hour, for every day, for the next five years. That's a lot of money.
And that doesn't even include spending that would actually pay for 2 million people to move from private health insurance to an inefficient, lower-quality, government-run program. Despite knowing it does not have a chance of becoming law, the Senate will now take up the second SCHIP bill the House passed last week. I believe the Senate is wasting valuable time. This bill, remarkably, manages to spend more money over five years than the first bill did.
After going alone and going nowhere, Congress should instead work with the administration on a bill that puts poor children first; a bill that will take care of the poor children that the initial bill said we got to do; a bill that would stop diverting money to adults. You realize some major states in the United States spend more money on adults than they do on children? We want a bill that enrolls the more than 500,000 poor children currently eligible for the program who are not a part of the program.
We want to sit down in good faith and come up with a bill that is responsible, because Congress has been unable or unwilling to get its basic job done of passing spending bills. There are now reports that congressional leaders may be considering combining the Veterans and Department of Defense appropriations bills, and then add a bloated Labor, Health and Education spending bill to both of them.
It's hard to imagine a more cynical political strategy than trying to hold hostage funding for our troops in combat and our wounded warriors in order to extract $11 billion in additional social spending. I hope media reports about such a strategy are wrong, I really do. If they're not, if the reports of this strategy are true, I will veto such a three-bill pileup. Congress should pass each bill one at a time in a fiscally responsible manner that reflects agreement between the legislative branch and the executive branch.
I again ask Congress to send me a clean Veterans funding bill that we have already agreed to by Veterans Day, so we can keep America's promise to those who have defended our freedom and are recovering from injury. I again urge them to pass a clean Defense appropriations bill, and a war supplemental bill to fund our troops in combat.
I know some on the Democrat side didn't agree with my decision to send troops in, but it seems like we ought to be able to agree that we're going to support our troops who are in harm's way. I know the members feel that way, standing with me. I hope the leadership feels that way, and they ought to give me a bill that funds, among other things, bullets, and body armor, and protection against IEDs, and mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles. It would be irresponsible to not give our troops the resources they need to get their job done because Congress was unable to get its job done.
Photo of the day
President George W. Bush announces Dr. James Peake as his nomination for Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Roosevelt Room Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. "He will be the first physician and the first general to serve as Secretary," said the President. "He will apply his decades of expertise in combat medicine and health care management to improve the veterans' health system. He will insist on the highest level of care for every American veteran." White House photo by Chris Greenberg
Hi, Kas
U.S. President George W. Bush (L) walks to the lecturn to deliver remarks to the press alongside Congressional members of the Republican Party, on the North Portico of the White House in Washington October 30, 2007. Pictured (2nd L-R) are Congressman John Boehner (R-OH), Congressman Adam Putnam (R-FL), Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Congressman Roy Blunt (R-MO)
U.S. President George W. Bush (2nd R) speaks to the press alongside Congressional members of the Republican Party, on the North Portico of the White House in Washington October 30, 2007
You did it :)
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) meets with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, October 30, 2007
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) speaks to the press following his meeting with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington October 30, 2007
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) speaks to the press following his meeting with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, October 30, 2007.
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) shakes hands with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni following their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington October 30, 2007
President George W. Bush announces Dr. James Peake as his nomination for Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Roosevelt Room Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. "He will be the first physician and the first general to serve as Secretary," said the President. "He will apply his decades of expertise in combat medicine and health care management to improve the veterans' health system. He will insist on the highest level of care for every American veteran." White House photo by Chris Greenberg
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) watches on as his nominee for Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, October 30, 2007
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) shakes hands with his nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, James Peake, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, October 30, 2007
US President George W. Bush speaks to the press at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, DC. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino sought to calm fears that Bush was about to launch a military attack against the Islamic republic. "There's no reason for people to think that the president is about to attack Iran. I think that we need to make that clear," she said.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (R) welcomes Italy's Defense Minister Arturo Parisi to the Pentagon for a meeting in Arlington, Viriginia, October 30, 2007.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, greets Italian Defense Minister Arturo Parisi, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007, at the Pentagon.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (R) escorts Italian Defense Minister Arturo Parisi through an honor cordon and into the Pentagon for a meeting in Arlington, Viriginia, October 30, 2007.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, escorts Italian Defense Minister Arturo Parisi into the Pentagon, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, hosts an honor cordon for Italian Defense Minister Arturo Parisi, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007, at the Pentagon.
The photo in #7 is the only photo from the White House. Perhaps there will be some more later on
I DID! I DID! I finally won. Oh, that potato bread is going to tase so good toasted.
Yes you sure did. I love potato bread. Did you bake it yourself?
kaslin: THANK YOU for posting the DOSE tonight — just reading the President’s schedule makes me tired! BTW: His remarks today about Pelosi, et al, were factually and politically PERFECT!
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MUST READ . . .
LOATHING NANCY
By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
Congress: Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s popularity is plummeting as Democrats realize she is ineffective, Republicans find her dishonorable and voters feel betrayed. That’s what she gets for putting politics first.
The first female speaker of the House may be from California, but less than 10 months after taking the gavel, the San Francisco-based Field Poll finds more Californians disapprove of Pelosi’s performance (40%) than approve of it (35%). A recent Zogby poll found that only 11% view Congress positively, down from an already-dismal 14% in the summer.
President Bush, meanwhile, is going on the offensive over Congress’ politicized agenda, tax-and-spend ways and inability to get much of anything done:
You can read the entire commentary here:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=278636028855263
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OUTCRY (from the NUTroots) AGAINST DIANNE FEINSTEIN FOR SAYING SOMETHING “NICE” ABOUT BUSH
by Susan @ 4:18 pm. Filed under News, Politics As Usual
She dared to call him warm and caring. Does it get any worse than that?
The left is atwitter again because Dianne Feinstein dared to say something nice about President George Bush.
“Bush invited Sen. Dianne Feinstein to join him on Air Force One during his trip. It may not have been coincidence that less than 24 hours earlier, Feinstein played a pivotal role in allowing Judge Leslie Southwick, a target of liberal groups, to be confirmed to an appeals court when she voted to block a filibuster and support the president’s nomination.
With a 7:40 a.m. Thursday departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Feinstein found herself seated in the rear of the plane with a handful of Southern California congressional representatives.
After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and French toast, Bush popped back for what the senator described as a frank two-hour conversation, mostly about foreign policy.
“I found the discussion extraordinarily positive,” Feinstein said. “I came away with a very different view about him.”
As for the president’s performance on the ground?
“It was a wonderful thing to see, to be candid,” Feinstein said. “I saw a warm, caring human being.”
WINNING ONE BATTLE, FIGHTING THE NEXT
America needs to be heartened by our success in Iraq, and seize a victory.
by Frederick W. Kagan
11/05/2007, Volume 013, Issue 08
America has won an important battle in the war on terror. We turned an imminent victory for Al Qaeda In Iraq into a humiliating defeat for them and thereby created an opportunity for further progress not only in Iraq, but also in the global struggle. In the past five months, terrorist operations in and around Baghdad have dropped by 59 percent. Car bomb deaths are down by 81 percent. Casualties from enemy attacks dropped 77 percent. And violence during the just-completed season of Ramadan—traditionally a peak of terrorist attacks—was the lowest in three years.
You can read the entire commentary here:
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/279rizcg.asp
***Yes you sure did. I love potato bread. Did you bake it yourself?****
You’re kidding, right?
Cake, yes. Cookies, yes. Cheese cake, brownies and muffins. Bread? Too lazy.
By the way, I think we are here alone. Something big on TV tonight?
I sure hope, by the way, that the new Secretary of Vets Affairs is the one who calls the shots on the VA’s decision to forbid the ceremoney of folding the flag at a vet’s funeral thirteen times because one of the folds mentions God. And it was because of ONE complaint.
Good evening, Dr Deb.
***...His remarks today about Pelosi, et al, were factually and politically PERFECT!***
Oh, YES! Perfect is the right word. I love to hear him talk tough, and make fools of the Dems.
get a bread machine..they are great and then you can make any kind you like!
Hey there Deb! Still hard at work, I see. Thanks for the dose, Kaslin. You two are a treasure!
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