Gosh, you capitulate on Iraq funding twice in a year, do your damndest to roll over on illegal wiretapping and retroactive immunity for lawbreaking corporations, but it's all going to be worth it when Mr. 24% gets up there at the end of the year and thanks you all for the spirit of bipartisanship that made it possible for his party's agenda to advance and yours, um, not.
Right?
Not quite.
WASHINGTON - President Bush, successful in forcing the Democratic Congress to bend to his will, complained Thursday that lawmakers had wasted time and taxpayers' money. His aggressive stand set a confrontational tone for Bush's final year in the White House.
...
Bush said he was disappointed Congress had lumped government spending into a single 1,400-page omnibus bill. "When Congress wastes so much time and leaves its work to the final days before Christmas, it is not a responsible way to run this government," he said.
He also complained Congress had not renewed a government eavesdropping bill to combat terrorism and said that should be a first priority when lawmakers return in January. Another priority is to make sure Congress does not raise taxes, he said. "I understand this is a point of disagreement."
Gosh, that guy is starting to sound - I don't know, I hate to say such a dirty word, but here goes - partisan. Like he wants his party to win and the other party to lose. Like he's in some kind of cataclysmic fight to the death or something. That's just not nice.
Well, that's OK, right Harry? Nancy? The media will understand the sacrifices you've made, right?
What began as a troubling year for Bush, facing a new, energetic Democratic Congress, ended in triumph for the president as frustrated Democrats nursed their losses. Democrats failed in their No. 1 objective to stop the war in Iraq and bowed to Bush and his veto threats on tax policies, energy legislation, children's health insurance and general spending.
But that pat on the head is coming someday. Bush said so himself:
After months of bitter fights, Bush said the year was ending on a high note. "It's an antagonistic world from some people's point of view," the president said. "I try to make it less that way and to focus on high priorities."
Maybe you just need to give him his way a few more times.