GWB anxious to veto funding for troops

As Digby tells us, citing a report in the Chicago Tribune, that "President Pissypants" is complaining that Congress is being irresponsible for debating a war-spending bill.

Counting the 57th day since he delivered his bid for additional war-spending to Congress, the president said during an impromptu Rose Garden press conference that congressional leaders should rush their bill to his desk so that he can promptly veto it and get on with a new spending bill.

"In a time of war, it's irresponsible for the Democrat leadership in... Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds,'' Bush said.

It appears that Harry Reid is having none of it:

Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, released the following statement today after comments made by President Bush at the White House:

The President today asked the American people to trust him as he continues to follow the same failed strategy that has drawn our troops further into an intractable civil war. The President's policies have failed and his escalation endangers our troops and hurts our national security. Neither our troops nor the American people can afford this strategy any longer.

Democrats will send President Bush a bill that gives our troops the resources they need and a strategy in Iraq worthy of their sacrifices. If the President vetoes this bill he will have delayed funding for troops and kept in place his strategy for failure.

Digby concludes:

Meanwhile, we find out that the "57 day delay" that Junior was squealing about is actually happening at warp speed compared to the last congress which was so busy counting its ill gotten gains, covering up for child predators and trying to stay out of jail that they could hardly take the time to pass a supplemental at all:

During the reign of the Do-Nothing 109th Congress, Bush submitted two major supplemental spending requests. Each request experienced a delay far more than 57 days with hardly a peep of anger from the Commander-In-Chief. Details below:

February 14, 2005: Bush submits $82 billion supplemental bill
May 11, 2005: Bush signs the supplemental
Total time elapsed: 86 days

February 16, 2006: Bush submits $72 billion supplemental bill
June 15, 2006: Bush signs the supplemental
Total time elapsed: 119 days

After the 119 day delay, Bush did not say an “irresponsible” Congress had “undercut the troops” or that military families had “paid the price of failure.” Instead, Bush told the conservative-led Congress, “I applaud those Members of Congress who came together in a fiscally responsible way to provide much-needed funds for the War on Terror.”

Josh Marshall refers us to a comment from Reader JC:

I would say that any democrate is a fool who doesn't start every comment on the story with, "The president is vetoing the bill to provide money for soldiers -- readiness, health care, armaments, etc and a timeline to get out of Iraq."