Poor leadership?

The 2006 mid-term elections made Democrats the majority in Congress, proving once and for all… The 2006 mid-term elections made Democrats the majority in Congress, proving once and for all that Americans were unsatisfied with the Republican leadership and with the Bush administration’s handling of the war in Iraq. For many voters, the new Democratic majority was a sign that things were going to change.

Indeed, after the elections, newly elected Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi promised to lead the country in a new direction “in partnership, not in partisanship,” reported CNN.

Two years later, however, Pelosi seems to have forgotten her promise.

House Democrats are planning to bring a $178 billion war-spending measure to the floor this week. The proposed bill would include unemployment assistance and educational benefits for returning veterans, as well as provisions for troop withdrawals.

On the surface, the proposal seems like a good one. Supporting veterans should be a priority for the Bush administration. But from the onset, the Democrats have been irresponsible and unfair in planning the bill – so irresponsible, in fact, that it seems they are playing by the partisan rules of former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay, who made sure to push the Republican agenda through the House.

Democrats have not disclosed the details of the bill and have prepared it mostly behind closed doors, The New York Times said. Furthermore, the Democrats failed to put the measure through formal committee consideration, something that has angered House Republicans who demand more openness.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., told The Times, “The Democrat leaders of the House and Senate are attempting to jam a $200-plus billion spending bill through Congress with absolutely no oversight or scrutiny.”

In their attempt to dodge scrutiny, the Democrats have lost our trust and respect.

President George W. Bush has been adamant about his opposition to any legislation that surpasses his spending request for the war. Rather, he said he would consider more aid for veterans as long as it was separate from the war-spending measure. The Times reported that Republicans have been putting together substitute plans, which have garnered some bipartisan support.

The Democrats’ plan, however, is to tie the veteran-spending measure to the war-spending measure to make it difficult for the Republicans to oppose it or for the president to veto it in an election year.

But a strategy of this kind is riddled with hypocrisy. When Democrats won the majority in Congress, they promised to be fair to the Congressional minority, to encourage the committee process and to remain open in all their actions.

While we encourage legislation to benefit war veterans, we do not support the Democrats’ strategy of keeping the Republicans in the dark. Good leadership is fair leadership, something the Democrats have yet to prove.