Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Tony Snow: Democrats Can Cut Off Funds, But Can't Stop President's 'Surge'

Editor & Publisher has an article on the Tony Snow press conference yesterday.

Snow reasserted the presidential authority to deploy troops in a war, while Congress still has the power of the purse.

Snow held out hope that the Democrats would come to their senses about opposing this but admitted it could even be a battle royal. But what about calls for the Democrats to halt the build up by denying funding? Snow admitted congress had funding control but also pointed out that the president could ultimately do what he wants. "You know, Congress has the power of the purse," Snow said, then added: "The President has the ability to exercise his own authority if he thinks Congress has voted the wrong way."

Frankly, I think it is a smart move for the president to challenge Congress on this. Americans dislike when Congress seems disrespectful to the President, even though it is a co-equal branch of government. This has been one of the most frustrating angles of domestic policy when the presidency and Congress aren't held by the same party.

Americans don't like Congress to bully the President, whether it was the Iran-Contra investigations of the 1980s or the government shutdown stand off of 1995.