After such a disastrous ride why should bush get to decide?

posted by Bill Arnett @ 1:28 PM Permalink

From the NYT in an article titled, "Pelosi to Block Vote on Colombia Trade":

Defying the White House, Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday the House will change its rules to avoid a required vote this year on a hotly disputed free-trade agreement with Colombia.

Pelosi said she will bring a procedural change to the House floor on Thursday that would remove the timetable under which Congress would have had to take up trade bills within 90 legislative days after they are received from the White House.

''The president took action'' in submitting the Colombia free trade agreement to Congress on Tuesday, she said. ''I will take mine tomorrow.'' Pelosi said that Bush called her Monday to tell her he was sending the agreement to Congress.[…]

Pelosi insisted that the House's right to determine its own procedures overrides any requirements that Congress take up a measure within a prescribed time period.

She said she is interested in taking up the agreement in an atmosphere that is ''as unemotional as possible,'' but ''that is not possible if the president of the United States is going to usurp the discretion of the speaker of the House to bring'' legislation to the floor.

The administration contends that the Colombian government has made significant strides in reducing violence. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, in a letter to Pelosi last week, said the agreement ''will send a clear message of support to a strong democratic ally, particularly given the continuing assault on the government of Colombia by narco-terrorists and the recent provocative actions by an increasingly aggressive Venezuela.''

Hurrah for Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Party! At this point they have absolutely no reason to believe that this agreement is for the benefits of trade, but for an excuse to attack Venezuela

They lie so often just to lie that you must look at every word coming out of this maladminstration, and particularly with the specific knowledge that bush wants to attack every country in the world that has oil.

Hence the statement:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, in a letter to Pelosi last week, said the agreement ''will send a clear message of support to a strong democratic ally, particularly given the continuing assault on the government of Colombia by narco-terrorists and the recent provocative actions by an increasingly aggressive Venezuela.''

Venezuela imports about a quarter of the oil used here in America, and given the logistical difficulties of attacking Iran, it may be that it's just easier to further demonize Hugo Chavez, attack Venezuela for some bogus reason and steal back the oil fields which he nationalized.

As to the narco-terrorists, are these the same groups American corporations have been paying protection money, in the millions of dollars range, the very type of terrorists with which bush won't "make deals"?

No, this stinks to high heaven and it is my personal opinion that this maladministration, and bush especially, should not be able to negotiate any trade agreements or treaties of any kind as it seems that everything bush does is bound to screw American and American workers again. Look how good he's done that. <\snark>

Let the next president address these issues and just ignore the provocative statements and actions of this president. Corruption is the hallmark of this group and is has to end.

Thank you, Speaker Pelosi.

Labels: Bush, bush as chimp, capitalism, chavez, Oil, trade, Venezuela