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archived: 4 - 10 Feb, 2007 Back Next UPDATED: FEBRUARY 7, 2007 CONGRESSMAN JONES Democrats in the US Senate cannot muster the 60 votes needed to pass their non-binding resolution against Bush’s escalation of the civil war in Iraq. Democrats in the US House will take up a resolution next week. Expect Democrats in the House to be successful. North Carolina Republican Congressman Walter Jones, who opposed the war in Iraq, has his attention focused on Bush’s moves signaling a war with Iran. Pat Buchanan, a conservative icon, observes: Bush's contempt for Congress is manifest and, frankly, justified. Asked if Congress could stop him from surging 21,500 troops into Iraq, Bush on 60 Minutes brushed aside Congress as irrelevant. "I fully understand [the Congress] could try to stop me from doing it. But I've made my decision. And we're going forward." Asked if he had sole authority "to put the troops in there no matter what the Congress wants to do," Bush replied, "In this situation I do, yeah." Is Congress then impotent, if it does not want war on Iran? Enter Rep. Walter Jones, Republican of North Carolina. The day after Bush's threat to Iran, Jones introduced a Joint Resolution, "Concerning the Use of Military Force by the United States Against Iran." Under HJR 14, "Absent a national emergency created by attack by Iran, or a demonstrably imminent attack by Iran, upon the United States, its territories, possessions, or its armed forces, the president shall consult with Congress, and receive specific authorization pursuant to law from Congress, prior to initiating any use of force on Iran." Jones' resolution further declares, "No provision of law enacted before the date of the enactment of this joint resolution shall be construed to authorize the use of military force by the United States against Iran." If we are going to war on Iran, Jones is saying, we must follow the Constitution and Congress must authorize it. If Biden, Kerry, Clinton, and Obama refuse to sign on to the Jones resolution, they will be silently conceding that Bush indeed does have the power to start a war on Iran. And America should pay no further attention to the Democrats' wailing about being misled on the Iraq war. Buchanan has it right and so does Congressman Jones. DEMOCRATS RISING? Gallup has issued its 2006 study of voter partisanship in the United States. It is a fascinating study, one well worth a complete reading. Their summary (emphasis added): A review of Gallup polling data from 2006 underscores the relative strength the Democratic Party currently enjoys versus the Republican Party in American politics. For the year, Democrats averaged a nearly four point advantage over the Republicans on national party identification and an even larger 10-point advantage when independents' partisan "leanings" are taken into account. In an analysis of 2006 partisanship at the state level, 33 states show a statistically significant advantage in favor of the Democratic Party, six states show a statistically significant Republican advantage, and the remainder can be considered competitive. Democratic strength in the United States has grown in each of the last three years. The trends are fueled more by movement away from the Republican Party and into independent status than by movement toward the Democratic Party. For North Carolina Democrats, the news also appears good. Gallup ranks states as Republican, Competitive or Democratic. Their findings show North Carolina with a statistically significant Democratic identification edge and one of six states (highlighted below) moving from “competitive” to Democratic.
The table immediately below provides the numbers to support Gallup’s conclusions:
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