Why Didn't He Find That Veto Pen Earlier?

Bush won the big one:

In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs, officials said Monday. (AP)

So much for the Dems' vaunted "mandate" from the election ... gone, shown to be as phony as their "support for the troops."

I just wonder what could have been in November 2006 if Bush had discovered that there was a veto pen in his top right desk drawer all along. Look what happened here: Congress was stopped short of ruining things, and the new approach, which would tie Iraq reconstruction funds -- not funds for fighting the war -- to milestones, is a fine solution that might never have come had Bush not finally stood up to Congressional silliness.

Still, the Dems are promising to attach a big minimum wage boost to the bill, as their quid for his pro quo. And it will probably get through, a nasty whack on the economy, but small potatoes when compared to the importance of maintaining the fight against global jihad.