1.03.2007
Democrats to Go on Offensive as New Congress Convenes (Guardian.co.uk)
· Bush faces questioning over additional troops
· Battles loom on stem cell research and war finance
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Wednesday January 3, 2007
The Guardian
President George Bush, who for nearly four years had a free hand in decision-making over the war in Iraq, faces a series of concerted challenges starting from tomorrow from a newly installed and assertive Democratic Congress.
In a much-anticipated speech, Mr Bush is expected to reveal his new strategy on the war as early as next week, amid widespread speculation that he intends to bolster the US presence in Iraq in the short term by an additional 30,000 troops.
That troop "surge" and a White House request for an additional $100bn (£51bn) to pay for the war this year are expected to encounter strong opposition from a previously supportive Congress.
To add to Mr Bush's challenges, following the Democratic capture of Congress in last November's mid-term elections, the incoming Democratic speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who is to be sworn in tomorrow, has announced her determination to push through half a dozen pieces of legislation during the first 100 hours of Congress's assembly. On Ms Pelosi's agenda are issues that have been anathema to the Bush White House, such as an increase in the federal minimum wage and federal funding for stem cell research.
But it is regarding policy on Iraq where Mr Bush could face his most bruising battles from Democrats, as well as moderate Republicans who have grown increasingly skittish about the prospect of fighting the 2008 elections in the shadow of a historically unpopular president and the war in Iraq. Now they have a share of power in Congress, Democrats too are reluctant to be saddled with responsibility for the war.
(More ... Guardian Unlimited > Special Report > USA)
· Battles loom on stem cell research and war finance
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Wednesday January 3, 2007
The Guardian
President George Bush, who for nearly four years had a free hand in decision-making over the war in Iraq, faces a series of concerted challenges starting from tomorrow from a newly installed and assertive Democratic Congress.
In a much-anticipated speech, Mr Bush is expected to reveal his new strategy on the war as early as next week, amid widespread speculation that he intends to bolster the US presence in Iraq in the short term by an additional 30,000 troops.
That troop "surge" and a White House request for an additional $100bn (£51bn) to pay for the war this year are expected to encounter strong opposition from a previously supportive Congress.
To add to Mr Bush's challenges, following the Democratic capture of Congress in last November's mid-term elections, the incoming Democratic speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who is to be sworn in tomorrow, has announced her determination to push through half a dozen pieces of legislation during the first 100 hours of Congress's assembly. On Ms Pelosi's agenda are issues that have been anathema to the Bush White House, such as an increase in the federal minimum wage and federal funding for stem cell research.
But it is regarding policy on Iraq where Mr Bush could face his most bruising battles from Democrats, as well as moderate Republicans who have grown increasingly skittish about the prospect of fighting the 2008 elections in the shadow of a historically unpopular president and the war in Iraq. Now they have a share of power in Congress, Democrats too are reluctant to be saddled with responsibility for the war.
(More ... Guardian Unlimited > Special Report > USA)
Labels: Bush, Congress, Guardian, Pelosi
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