Toobin: Bush 'playing chicken' with senators "in your face" per Mark

[rodeodance]

Sheilds on pbs Jim Leher News Hour.



http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/15/toobin/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

Toobin: Bush 'playing chicken' with senators

POSTED: 4:15 p.m. EDT, September 15, 2006

............

CNN anchor Tony Harris spoke with CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin on Friday about Bush's comments.

HARRIS: Were you surprised he didn't sound more of a conciliatory tone, a willingness to work more closely in finding a language here, because it seems like that's where we are: the language.

TOOBIN: I certainly was surprised because this is an area where compromise is really possible. You're dealing with pretty vague concepts.... This is why lawyers go to law school; they can write things that everybody can agree with.

But the president didn't just say... the senators' proposal was unacceptable. ... He went even further. He was really playing chicken with the senators. He was saying, "Look, go ahead and pass your law. You pass that law. If it somehow becomes law, I'm shutting this program down. And that's on your head."

So he didn't just say, "We disagree about the legislation."

He said, the implications of what the senators are doing is to end a program which the president says has been very successful in the war on terror. That's unusually strong talk against any members of Congress, much less members of his own party. But, you know, as everyone's been saying, this was an unusually combative performance by a generally pretty combative president.

[gulliver]

1. Kabuki

It makes the GOP rubberstamp Congress look more independent.

[Frances]

2. "unusually combative performance by...

a pretty combative president"

I think combative is too kind a word. I think arrogant would be a better word. I really think Georgie thinks he is king. It's ironic that one of my ancestors fought against a King George to form this country and now here I am with another "King" George.

[Amonester]

3. "a generally pretty combative president"??

HA! What a farce!

He's gonna sign another unconstitutional 'signing statement' exactly where Deadeyed Darth will tell him to...

Is that this nut's definition of "combative"?? Two draft dodgers committing misdemeanors together?