PRESIDENT WHO ? - BUSH, REID OR PELOSI ?

One has to wonder with the actions that are being taken in Congress and the arrogant, "diplomacy, " being displayed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi how the following question would be answered by Democrat members of both the House and Senate.

The President of The United States is:

1. George W. Bush

2. Harry Reid

3. Nancy Pelosi

4. All of the above


Judging by legislation that is pending for Committee with the military appropriations bill and the current, "diplomatic, " trip by Nancy Pelosi the answer by Democrats to the above question would be, " 4. all of the above."

While they publicly state in their constant accusations against the President that Bush is in the White House and performs the responsibilities of President, they legislate and act as if Congress and the Congressional leaders are Commander in Chief and Secretary of State.

Nancy Pelosi in her show trip to Damascus to meet with Assad is in every sense of the word usurping the President and the State Department making a State visit to this rogue regime and it terrorist President.

While several other members of Congress and even lesser State Department officials have made trips to Damascus because of her position as Speaker this visit is considered by Damascus as an official State visit and as such her talks are expressing United States foreign policy in the eyes of Assad. Which is just the opposite of official US policy toward this regime as establish by the duly elected foreign policy maker President George W. Bush and the department within the Executive Branch of Government that expresses foreign policy to the world The State Department and its top diplomat Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

This arrogant move by Pelosi against requests by the White House sends a conflicting message to Assad since, because of Syria's ties to terrorism through Hezbollah and their support of terrorist activities in Iraq which has RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF OUR SOLDIERS, the President has stopped official diplomatic dialogue with Assad as a result. Now Pelosi throws all of this out the window by making an unauthorized visit to Assad to create her own foreign policy, violating the Constitutional provision of Separation of Powers.

Many Speakers have made State visits to countries in the past and Pelosi has that privilege as Speaker. The difference with this visit is that past Speakers cleared their visits with the White House and the State Department to follow official protocol and not send any message that conflicts with official US policy. It is obvious that Pelosi not only does not care about sending mixed signals but sees it as her responsibility to reshape US foreign policy in accordance to her own agenda and usurp the Constitutional authority of the President.

A second violation of the Separation of Powers as stated in the Constitution is the arrogant move by Congress to micromanage the war through the setting of time lines in the much talked about military appropriations bill that is waiting Committee meetings to come to a joint compromise between House and Senate versions then sent to the President who has promised a VETO.

The responsibility for deployment and military strategy is Constitutionally that of the Commander in Chief who is the President. This unconstitutional bill violates that authority by seeking Congressional control of both deployment and strategy. While Congress does have the authority to provide funding or to pull funding for any military action they DO NOT have any Constitutional authority to dictate to the President through appropriations legislation how the military is to be used or deployed in service to this country.

The arrogance and power grab by the Speaker, Senate Majority leader and Democrats in the Congress is a dangerous precedence to take in placing a Constitutional crises before this country. Constitutional authority is well defined for both branches and Congress and its Democrat Leaders are crossing Constitutional barriers created to prevent any one Branch of the government from becoming a dictatorial entity within the government of the United States. They are eliminating the very check and balance system that has made this country the envy of the world and protected our freedoms from being trampled on throughout our history.

While this move by Pelosi, Reid and Congressional Democrats is short of a coupe it is a definite power grab being executed by a power lust that violates the Constitution and shakes the very foundation of our Republic.

Ken Taylor