Investigations to Dog President Bush
Will the victory of Democrats in the U.S. midterm elections affect American foreign policy? According to this op-ed article from China's state-controlled People's Daily, while this means that President Bush will have a hard time being investigated by the Democratic Congress, not much else will change. The newspaper, which is China's Communist Party mouthpiece, describes without apparent irony, that the Washington Times is the 'Republican Party mouthpiece.'
EDITORIAL
November 9, 2006
China - People's Daily - Original
Article (English) 
In the
midterm congressional elections in the United States, the Democrats defeated
the Republicans, winning back 30 seats in the House of Representatives and
several in the Senate, putting an end to 12 humiliating years in the
opposition.
Ms. Nancy
Pelosi, the House Democratic Leader from San Francisco, will be the first woman
in American history to be Speaker of the House, the third most important figure
the United States after the President and Vice President.
It wasn't skillful campaigning that brought Ms. Nancy Pelosi fame
and built her reputation, but rather attacks against her from President Bush
and the Republicans. During the election campaigning, many Republican
candidates claimed in TV ads that voting for the Democratic Party would put
liberal Pelosi on the House Speaker's throne, which would therefore mean that
the U.S. would compromise with terrorists and "cut and run" from Iraq.
The Republican Party mouthpiece, the Washington Times, even published
editorials highlighting Ms. Pelosi's liberal voting record. She always opposed
the Iraq War and the deployment of the missile defense system and disagrees
with many of the conservative bills that have been proposed by Bush and the
Republican Party; she is regarded by the Republicans as enemy.
In her
victory speech, Pelosi said, "Yesterday, the American people spoke with
their votes. And they spoke for change ... and they spoke for a new direction
for all Americans. ... And we will not disappoint them." She also issued
an appeal to Bush, "President Bush, we need a new direction in Iraq. Let's
work together to find a solution Watch 
."
It
remains to be seen whether U.S. policy will change now that Pelosi is Speaker and
the Democrats have control of the Congress. President Bush will be in office
for two more years and according to the United States Constitution, the
President has the final word on foreign policy issues. Moreover, the President
is also the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. military, and Bush has said
repeatedly that he will not order a withdrawal from Iraq until the country is
stabilized and under a democratic government.
Although
the Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction with Bush's Iraq strategy, they
don't have a better alternative. Members of the Democratic Party have been
debating whether and when the U.S. should withdraw, but have been unable to
reach a consensus. Senior Democratic Representative John Murtha demands an
immediate withdrawal; former Presidential candidate John Kerry advocates
formulating a timetable for withdrawal; Hillary Clinton, a likely 2008 presidential
candidate, doesn't believe troops should be withdrawn at all.
But they
do agree on putting more pressure on the new Iraqi government to get them to assume
responsibility for their own security, so that the United States can begin a
staged withdrawal either to the Kurdish area, Kuwait or other neighboring
countries, so that they can offer assistance if needed.
In regard
to the nuclear issue in Iran and on the Korean Peninsula, the difference
between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party lies only in the fact
that the former advocates direct negotiation, which is a suggestion that has
been flatly rejected by the Bush Administration.
But
nevertheless, the results of the midterm elections will bring pain to Bush and
the Republican Party. Pelosi has said that she will not propose the impeachment
of the President, but will advocate investigations into how the Bush
Administration distorted intelligence to launch the Iraq War. Bush faces a hard
road.
The new
Democrat-dominated Congress will restrict the powers of the President, making
it more difficult for Bush to use force to resolve the nuclear issue in Iran
and North Korea. With the Senate also in Democratic control, President Bush
will be almost entirely impotent, a "lame duck" for the next two
years. Under pressure from the Democratic Party, the issue of withdrawing from
Iraq may be put on the agenda much earlier, but will still be difficult to execute
while Bush is in the White House. American foreign policy may be adjusted to a
degree, but fundamental changes are unlikely.
By
People's Daily Online
