There is nothing trivial or formulaic about the latest news from the Washington front in the war on terror. On May 1st, President George Bush cast only the second veto of his presidency, rejecting an attempt by both chambers of Congress to bring American troops home from Iraq. Never before has Congress passed a bill requiring the commander-in-chief to withdraw from a still-raging war. Only in the much less serious cases of Somalia and Haiti has it dared to cut off funds to troops in the field, as it is now doing in Iraq by making further money dependent on the president's accepting a deadline to leave Iraq.
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