Dems Decide to Tempt the Fates

The Dems think they're on a roll right now, passing legislation designed to provoke confrontations with the president. So far, none of their "first 100 hours" bills have become law, and if President Bush holds to his promises, none are likely to. The President has vowed to veto 16 different bills currently being promised for passage by the Congress, and it looks like the Spring offensive is only beginning:

Even as their confrontation with President Bush over Iraq escalates, emboldened congressional Democrats are challenging the White House on a range of issues -- such as unionization of airport security workers and the loosening of presidential secrecy orders -- with even more dramatic showdowns coming soon.

For his part, Bush, who also finds himself under assault for the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, the conduct of the Iraq war and alleged abuses in government surveillance by the FBI, is holding firm. Though he has vetoed only one piece of legislation since taking office, he has vowed to veto 16 bills that have passed either the House or the Senate in the three months since Democrats took control of Congress.

Despite the threats, Democratic lawmakers expect to open new fronts against the president when they return from their spring recess, including politically risky efforts to quickly close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; reinstate legal rights for terrorism suspects; and rein in what Democrats see as unwarranted encroachments on privacy and civil liberties allowed by the USA Patriot Act.

"I suppose there's always a risk of going too far," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), "but the risk of not going is far greater."

The Democrats have badly misunderstood the reasons for their slim win in November. They believe the voters granted them carte blanche to do whatever their wacky left base wants, and that's a big mistake. The voters did not choose Democrats in order to empower our enemies, though that is certainly the result. If the voters ever catch on to just what they've done, and if the Dems insist on promoting ideas that are dangerous to our nation's security, the majorities will quickly swing back the other way.