The senate says "we'll do our job only if we can do yours too". Is that right?

Question

The senate is willing to pass a bill to fund the war (it's their job to decide where the money gets spent) contingent on getting to tell the military how to do their job. What if the generals said "We'll fight the war, but only if you spend tax dollars the way we say."? Would that be OK?

Answer 1

Exactly! The majority in the US Congress are attempting to usurp powers that are not granted them, hence the presidential veto.

Since we can assume that most US Congressmen and women are fairly well educated, what is it that they don't understand about putting together a military spending bill without encumbrances such as attaching pork barrel spending and conditions on military strategies? Maybe they're NOT "smarter than a 5th grader."

Answer 2

Wow...way to link two un-related things. Generals serve at the pleasure of the president and will fight a war if he says so...not because they want to.

But congress pays the bills. Seeing as how a congress was just elected by people who obviously don't want the war to go on....
Four years and 3300+ American lives not to mention 100's of billions of tax dollars is enough.

Answer 3

Actually, yes it's right. That's exactly what the Framers intended when they gave the legislative branch more power than the executive branch. They did it because they were terrified of what would happen if the wrong man came to power, disregarded the constitution, and abused the powers of his office.

Answer 4

But don't you know? Our armchair generals... er, senators are the best in the business! They just recently figured out how we screwed up Vietnam!

Answer 5

Sorry the Senate is made up of 100 men and woman. Who said that pal?

Answer 6

If Bush wants the bill, he has to sign ALL of it. It ain't right, but it's the law.

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Answer 7

What they did was totally legal. It was no more underhanded than any of the cr*p that bush has pulled.