E.J. DIONNE: Can Democrats stop surge? [View All]

Can Democrats stop surge?
Congress has few tools available to stop the commander in chief
E.J. DIONNE
Washington Post Writers Group

WASHINGTON - The shift in power heralded by the Democrats' assumption of control in the House and Senate on Thursday could lead quickly to a direct confrontation with President Bush if he chooses, as many expect, to "surge" additional troops into Iraq.

The surge, which opponents look upon as a soothing label for an outright escalation of an unpopular war, is seen by most Democrats and some Republicans as a direct rebuke to voters whose ballots last November signaled a negative verdict on the Iraq war.

They also argue that the surge cannot work because it proposes a military solution to what is primarily a political problem: the increasingly deadly confrontation between Iraq's Sunni and Shiite communities. The violent reaction to the taunting of Saddam Hussein by Shiite executioners underscored the futility of expecting that additional American troops can repair the damage done by three years of flawed policies.

New forms of pressure

But Democrats will barely have time to celebrate their new congressional authority before confronting a hard fact of the American constitutional system: If Bush wants to continue or expand the Iraq War, Congress has precious few tools available to stop the commander in chief.As a result, Democrats are quietly but urgently seeking new ways of pressuring the president to change course, including the possibility of having Congress reconsider its original authorization of force passed in October 2002.

Even Bush's critics doubt that the most sweeping measure, cutting off funds for the president's policies, could be effective, or has the votes to pass. Yet Bush's opponents will be emboldened if he embarks on a surge, especially if it is not linked to what Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the new chairman of the Armed Services Committee, calls "milestones" for political reconciliation that the Iraqi government will have to reach. Levin, whose views are shared by many Democrats, also insists that any surge should be part of an "overall plan of troop reduction" that would begin "within four to six months."



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