Democratic leaders in the US Congress were planning a special ceremony yesterday afternoon to send US President George W. Bush a bill that sets timetables for troop withdrawal from Iraq.
The timing is no accident. It comes on the fourth anniversary of the day Bush stood on an aircraft carrier under the banner "Mission Accomplished" and declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended.
The Democrats' ceremony, featuring House speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate majority leader Harry Reid was part of the elaborate political theater at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue surrounding the Iraq spending bill, which is destined to produce only the second veto of Bush's presidency.
But with Bush planning to spend yesterday in Florida talking to military commanders, the White House was being coy on Monday about what kind of theatrics of his own -- if any -- Bush might stage. Democrats, however, said they expected the veto to come today.
Bush's spokesman, Tony Snow, said, "We'll make clear what we intend and how we intend to do it at the proper time."
Bush, speaking to reporters in the Rose Garden after meeting with leaders of the EU, expressed optimism that the two sides could reach a compromise after his veto, which Democrats concede they will not be able to override.
"I believe that there's a lot of Democrats that understand that we need to get the money to the troops as soon as possible," he said. "I'm optimistic we can get something done in a positive way."
Bush first exercised his veto last year, when the Republican-controlled Congress sent him a bill to expand federal financing for embryonic stem cell research. On that occasion, the president spoke at the White House surrounded by so-called "snowflake babies," those born from frozen embryos and then adopted.
The spending bill veto would be the first since Democrats took control of Congress this year and would open a new chapter in the confrontation between the legislative and executive branches over the Iraq War. The path to legislation the president might sign remained unclear on Monday.
Bush has asked congressional leaders to meet at the White House today to discuss the legislation. Democrats have already been considering possible alternatives.
One leading option, put forth by Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania is to pass a measure that includes benchmarks for the Iraqis to show progress in establishing a stable government.
The bill was scheduled to be sent to the White House via a legislative courier after yesterday afternoon's ceremony.
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