THE CONGRESS AS SURGE PROTECTOR

By Neil Kinkopf

Reports indicate that President Bush plans to respond to the deteriorating situation in Iraq
by substantially increasing the number of American troops deployed there. (BBC
1/2/07.) According to these reports, the President will call for the nation to make
sacrifices in support of this “surge” in troop levels. The Constitution makes it quite clear
that Congress may stop the President from imposing such sacrifices on the nation. This
decision is one that rests with our democratic process and is vested originally in
Congress.

The President’s plan to escalate the war in Iraq is opposed by the overwhelming majority
of Americans; only 11%, according to a recent CNN poll, believe we should send more
troops to Iraq (CNN 12/18/06). These views are evidently shared by the President’s
strongest supporters. Columnist Robert Novak’s survey of Senate Republicans shows
that only 12 support escalation. (Washington Post 1/1/07) And among the military,
which has been a staunch supporter of the President’s Iraq policies, now only 35%
approve of the President’s handling of the war and only 38% support escalation
according to the annual poll conducted by The Military Times. (Army Times 12/29/06)
Additionally, the Baker-Hamilton Commission makes emphatically clear that the
President’s plan is in opposition to the only bipartisan consensus as to how to move
forward in Iraq....