Who will get blamed if a funding showdown results in a government shutdown? Not Bush. As he managed to deflect blame onto Congress for his May veto of an Iraq funding bill, Bush and his handlers will again paint the Democrats in Congress as the obstructionists. The American people, the bulk of whom barely follow politics, will accept the president's view without bothering to dig deeper to see who the real obstructionist is.
It's a cynical way to run a government, but Congress needs to wake up and realize that the old rules no longer apply. The current occupant of the White House believes he is answerable to no one. He has zero interest in compromise and bipartisanship. If Congress does not agree with what he proposes, he will defy Congress' wishes.
It is now up to the Democrats in Congress, as well as the handful of Republicans who still believe in the rule of law, to figure out a strategy for dealing with executive power gone wild.
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